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About ETC Group
ETC Group (Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration) is a small but globally impactful research and advocacy collective committed to social and environmental justice. Founded in 1977 under the name RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International), the organization began as a dialogue on seeds and agricultural biodiversity. Over four decades later, ETC Group remains at the forefront of global efforts to safeguard the rights of communities, protect the web of life, and challenge the corporate capture of emerging technologies.
A Legacy of Resistance and Innovation
ETC Group has built a reputation for rigorous research, critical analysis, and bold action. It was the first civil society organization—nationally and internationally—to address the intersections of plant genetic resources, biotechnology, and intellectual property rights. In the 1990s, it brought the concept of biopiracy into public discourse, challenged unethical patent claims on Indigenous peoples’ cell lines, and launched the international campaign against genetic seed sterilization, dubbed “Terminator” technology—a campaign that led to a global moratorium under the United Nations.
Over the years, ETC Group expanded its scope to address the social and ecological impacts of technologies like nanotechnology, synthetic biology, geoengineering, and gene drives. Together with global partners, it has successfully halted risky experiments, influenced international policy, and exposed the growing concentration of corporate power in food and farming systems.
Mission and Values
ETC Group’s mission is rooted in solidarity with popular movements, especially in the Global South. The organization works to understand and dismantle corporate-controlled techno-industrial systems and promote democratic, community-led alternatives. Its work upholds:
- Peasant and Indigenous knowledge systems, recognizing that human and ecological futures are intertwined.
- Food sovereignty, supporting diverse, ecological, and locally controlled food systems.
- People’s control over technology, advocating for inclusive, precautionary governance of emerging technologies.
- Just economies and democratic governance, resisting military-industrial agendas and promoting participatory decision-making at all levels.
A Global Collective
ETC Group operates as a transnational collective, with team members based in Canada (Montréal), the Philippines (Davao), Mexico (Mexico City), Argentina, India, Uganda, and the UK. Despite working across continents, its staff and board collaborate closely on a daily basis. The organization holds consultative or observer status with several key UN bodies, including ECOSOC, FAO, UNCTAD, UNFCCC, IPCC, and the CBD, and it maintains strong ties with CGIAR institutions.
Confronting the Bio-Digital Convergence
Today, ETC Group monitors the accelerating convergence of biology, digital technologies, automation, and planetary-scale engineering. As powerful actors seek to reshape life itself, ETC Group remains committed to transparency, accountability, and equity—insisting that people and ecosystems must not be treated as test beds for unproven technologies.
Through its reports, campaigns, and strategic advocacy, ETC Group continues to be a vital resource for civil society, grassroots movements, and policymakers navigating the urgent challenges of our time.
