Patenting living organisms encourages two forms of violence.
First, life-forms are treated as if they were machines, thus
denying their self-organising capacity. Second, by allowing the
patenting of future generations of plants and animals, the
self-reproducing capacity of living organisms is denied.
– Vandana Shiva, The Corporate Control of
Life
OCA in cooperation with the Centre for Development and the Environment at University of Oslo presents a lecture by Vandana Shiva, the environmental activist and newly appointed Honorary Professor at the University of Oslo, that addresses central concerns of the world at large – sustainable development and social justice, the integrity of living resources, the promotion of organic farming and fair trade. In her research and activism and as an author and philosopher, Shiva has focused on the connection between feminism and ecology, and helped raise awareness about the living conditions for women in developing countries. Through the foundation of Navdanya in 1991, Shiva created a national Indian movement to protect diversity and integrity of living resources, while contributing significantly to the international debate around biodiversity.
