www.peliti.gr

INTERNATIONAL SEED DAYS IN GREECE pdf

21, 22, 23 April 2012

Dear Friends,

We are happy to invite you to attend the International Seed Days in Greece, from 21 to 23 April 2012. Come and share your experiences as well as the practices that you have developed in your garden, your neighborhood, your city, your country with regard to local varieties and food cultivation. Come and participate in a big seed swap where we can offer each other the seeds of our ancestors. Now that the economic crisis is at our door, now that we are losing basic freedoms that were won through hard battles, it is time to cooperate closely. During periods of severe economic crises it is more important than ever to ensure free access to seeds. Come and participate in a discussion on how to fight for this right across Europe.

Organised by Peliti (www.peliti.gr ) with the support of

the Europe-wide Seed Campaign that organised the International Seed Swap in Brussels in April 2011 (www.seed-sovereignty.org ) as well as with the support of

the Municipality of Paranesti and the Centre for Environmental Education of Paranesti

Saturday April 21, first day12th Pan-Hellenic Festival for the Exchange of Local Varieties. This is an annual event organised by Peliti every year, since 1999.  Farmers, activists, researchers, students and thousands of visitors from all over the world come to share their experiences on the cultivation of local varieties. The Festival includes speeches, seminars, workshops, distribution of local seeds, eating, dancing, music, money-free barter of goods etc. The activities take place from 11am to 5pm. Entrance to the festival is open to all visitors and it is free.

Sunday April 22 and Monday April 23

An international meeting for seed activists from all over Europe.
We see this as a follow-up to the highly successful and inspiring international seed swap organised in April 2011 in Brussels by the Europe-wide Seed Sovereignty campaign.
During these two days we want to exchange experiences and coordinate our struggles for the free access to fertile and diverse (GMO-free) seeds and discuss how to get active together against the new European seed legislation and the monopoly of the seed companies.

During the first session the participants from the different countries will describe the activities they have been involved in, since the International Seed Swap in Brussels. It will be interesting to hear about all practical actions you have taken, such as seed swaps, seed production training sessions or manuals, information tours, international contacts...
But it is also important that you report on difficulties you have faced, for example due to restrictive seed laws in your country.

We will also examine the present situation concerning European seed legislation, as well as the different national legal contexts.

In the second part of the discussion, we will look forward to the coming year. We, above all, want to seek ways to strengthen European opposition to restrictive seed laws and to develop practical forms of resistance that help to ensure that seed production and exchange become an increasingly popular practice, even if they are being turned into forms of civil disobedience.

In view of the severe economic crisis that is affecting many European countries, and in particular Greece, we wish to stress the importance of food autonomy and the central role of seeds. This is the case both for farmers and for citizens involved in collective urban vegetable gardens. The meeting will establish an action plan and a coordination group for the coming year.

The European seed activists meeting will start on Sunday at 10:00 with the planting of a tree to commemorate the meeting and will end at 15.00 on Monday.
While the seed swap on the first day (21 April) is open to all and will certainly attract several thousand people, the meeting on the second and third days will be open to those activists already involved in seed campaigns across Europe who want to coordinate on an international level. It will also be an occasion for Greek seed activists to meet European colleagues.

Those wishing to participate should inform us by March 20, 2012.

HOW TO GET TO PELITI

Peliti is located in Mesochori which belongs to the Municipality of Paranesti, in North Greece (see the map http://www.peliti.gr/pages_eng/map.htm) Paranesti borders to the west the municipality of Xanthi, while to the east there is the municipality of Drama. The northern part borders with Bulgaria. Distance from Peliti to: o    Drama 42 km o    Xanthi 48 km o    Thessaloniki 196 km o    Alexandroupolis 170 km o    Igoumenitsa 642 km o    Athens 704 km BY AIR We suggest you arrive by air in Thessaloniki and then take the train from Thessaloniki to Paranesti. From Thessaloniki airport there is a bus that goes to the train station as it passes through the centre of town. The trip from the airport to the train station by taxi costs about 50 euros. There are two trains a day from Thessaloniki to Paranesti. From the train station in Paranesti we will pick you up. The train station is 2 km away from Peliti. The nearest airport to us is in Chrysoupoli of Kavala but there are no buses to bring you to Mesochori and it is difficult for us to pick you up from the airport of Chrysoupoli. If you use the airport Chrysoupoli you can take a taxi to Mesochori of Paranesti Municipality which that costs approximately 100 euros

BY TRAIN
Paranesti is located on the railway line Thessaloniki-Alexandroupolis
 

Daily departures from Thessaloniki to Paranesti:
Departure 07:11, Arrival at Paranesti 10.57. Ordinary Train
Departure 16.10, Arrival at Paranesti 19:25. Intercity train
 

Daily departures from Paranesti for Thessaloniki :
Departure 9.56, Arrival 13.8, Intercity

Departure 18.23, arrival 22.09, Ordinary train
 

Drama train station  tel (0030) 2521032444
Xanthi train station (0030) 2541022581
Greek Trains Customer Service 1110 or (0030) 2105297777 or www.ose.gr

Please note that prices and time tables are subject to change, so please check with the service provider before booking.

BY CAR
Coming from the west (Thessaloniki) follow the Egnatia E90 towards Kavala and immediately after the river Strymon drive towards  Drama A2. From Drama follow directions to Paranesti & Xanthi. The turnoff to Mesochori is 0.5 km before the bridge over the river Nestos.
Coming from east (Alexandroupolis) follow the Egnatia E90. From Xanthi drive towards Drama A2. Paranesti is on the halfway mark  along this road. The turnoff to Mesochori is 0.5 km after the bridge over the river Nestos.

BY BUS
o    Athens-Drama, Kifissos bus station in Athens tel. 210 5130220:
Daily departures at 09.00 and 21.00. Price 55 € one way and 80 € return.
Duration  of trip, 8 hours
o    Thessaloniki- Drama, Intercity bus station in Thessaloniki, tel. 2310 595420:
Daily departures 07.30,09.00,10.00,11.30, and from 13:00 until 18:00 every hour, then  19.30, 21.00.
Price 13 € one way and 23 € return. Duration of trip 2 hours.
o   Kavala-Drama, Kavala Bus Station  tel. 2510 222294
distance of approximately 1 hour. Daily departures every half hour.
Price 3.60 €. Duration of trip,1 hour.
o    Drama-Paranesti, Drama Bus Station tel. 25210 32421
Departures on working days: 08.10,10.30,13.30, 15.15, 17.30

Saturdays: 8.10, 10.30, Sundays 16.30, 18.45
Price 3.90 €. Duration of trip, 1 hour
o    Xanthi-Paranesti , Xanthi  Bus Station  tel. 2541022684
Daily departures: 08.10, 10:30, 15.15, 17.30.
Price 4,80 €.  Duration of trip, 1 hour and 10 minutes.
o    Alexandroupolis- Xanthi. Alexandroupolis  Bus Station tel. 25510 26479
Daily departures: 5.15, 8.00, 11.00, 14.00, 16.45, 17.45, 22.00.
Price 10.50 €.  Duration of trip, 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Due to possible changes it is advisable to check this information with the relevant companies.

Taxis in  Paranesti:
Vangelis Siomos 6944591775
Lazarus Beinoglou 6974581067
Kosmas and Panagiotis Kosmidis 6946269766

ACCOMODATION:
 

Peliti has the possibility to host some of the participants.
There is also camping facilities provided by the Municipality  and  two hotels at Paranesti:
 

Hotel Filoxenia, 3klm from Peliti (taxi fare is 5 euros)
www.philoxeniadrama.gr/
e-mail: contact@philoxeniadrama.gr
Phone: 0030-2524022001 fax: 0030-2524022002

Hotel "Nessos", 3,5 klm from Peliti (taxi fare is 5 euros)
www.hotelnessos.gr
e-mail: info@hotelnessos.gr
Phone: 0030-2524021021 fax: 0030-2524021022
 

CAMPING AREA, (1,5 klm from Peliti)

The Municipality will  organize a space in Paranesti for camping.

The area will have drinking water and wc and is free for all participants