By the Witness Radio team
Civil society organizations across East Africa have increased their opposition to the proposed East African Community (EAC) Seeds and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025, warning that some provisions threaten to erode farmer-managed seed systems and give commercial seed interests greater power.
Earlier last week, the organizations met online to plan their advocacy ahead of the public hearings on August 27 and 28.
The EAC Seeds and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025, was introduced before the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in June 2025. The legislation seeks to establish a harmonized regional framework for seed certification, registration, evaluation, and plant variety protection across EAC partner states.
Civil society groups and smallholder farmer advocates warn that the Bill could restrict the use, exchange, and sharing of farmer-managed seeds while tightening intellectual property rules in favor of commercial plant breeders.
During the webinar, champions of agroecology, food sovereignty, and farmers’ rights discussed how to shape the legislative process and present alternative proposals at the upcoming hearings.
Doreen Akware from the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT) told participants that the public hearings are scheduled for August 27 and 28, with stakeholders expected to present their views on the proposed legislation.
Akware said the relevant committee will compile the hearings’ views into a report before the Bill moves to the next stages of consideration.
The EAC Seed and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025 has passed several legislative stages, including publication and introduction in the East African Legislative Assembly. It is now before the relevant EALA committee and will go to public hearings before the Assembly considers it further.
If enacted, the legislation would establish a regional framework governing the evaluation, release, registration and certification of plant varieties and seeds across EAC partner states.
Participants noted the proposed legislation arrives as governments across the region urge farmers to adopt more sustainable, locally rooted agricultural practices.
Dr David Kabanda, Executive Director of CEFROHT, said communities in Uganda are already experiencing what he described as “seed poverty”, where farmers increasingly depend on commercial seed suppliers instead of saving and reusing seed from previous harvests.
Kabanda acknowledged some government programs distributing improved seeds are well-meaning but cautioned that growing reliance on commercial seed risks undermining the tradition of seed-saving.
“If we are coming up at the East African level to promote the intellectual property of seed breeders and also only highlighting or certifying seeds which they only understand in the context of a framework of only plant breeders without farmers’ rights and community seed systems on board, then we are destined to a very precarious time ahead of us,” Kabanda warned.
He insisted that true sustainability in agriculture and food systems is impossible if communities are excluded from decisions about the seeds and resources they rely on.
Kabanda also voiced worries about how the proposed regional law could impact national sovereignty, farmers’ rights, and the future of community-managed food systems.
Simon Degelo, senior adviser on seed systems at SWISSAID, raised concerns about provisions that could criminalize or restrict the sale and exchange of farmer-managed seeds lacking formal certification.
Degelo argued that requiring farmers to certify seeds before exchange or sale could put farmer-managed seed systems at a disadvantage against commercial seed companies.
He also questioned the Bill’s vague approach to plant variety protection and intellectual property rights, noting key provisions are postponed for future decisions instead of being detailed now.
“At least the essential provisions should be part of the law. We don’t even know what would be coming in the plant variety protection because the provisions are not in the law,” he said.
Degelo also warned the new regional framework might clash with existing national laws in EAC countries, especially where seed legislation is already involved in legal or constitutional disputes.
Over 60 participants from East Africa and beyond joined the webinar, pooling ideas and strategies to make their voices heard at the upcoming public hearings.
The organizations are rallying farmers’ groups, civil society, researchers, and other stakeholders to participate in the hearings and engage with EALA members.
Their main concern is to ensure that any regional seed law upholds farmers’ rights, safeguards community seed systems, and does not tip the scales in favor of commercial seed companies and plant breeders.
The organizations plan to use the public hearings to challenge restrictive provisions and demand greater recognition for farmer-managed seed systems.
This debate unfolds as East African nations work to harmonize agricultural policies and boost regional trade. Civil society groups insist that harmonization must not sacrifice farmers’ centuries-old ability to save, share, and nurture locally adapted seeds.
The proposed legislation now faces a pivotal test in the weeks ahead, as stakeholders ready their submissions to EALA and press for a seed governance framework that strikes a fair balance between commercial interests, farmers’ rights, biodiversity, and food sovereignty.
