By Witness Radio team
Seed sovereignty, a concept that advocates for farmers’ rights to save, use, exchange, and sell their own seeds, is at the heart of the Seed Savers Network’s (SSN) mission.
Based in Kenya, SSN is holding an intensive learning and peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing exercise among farmers across Africa. The goal is to develop strategies to restore traditional seeds and ensure food and seed sovereignty.
SSN is also targeting academia, policymakers, and researchers to champion and promote the conservation of local and indigenous seeds.
According to SSN, this is the third boot camp in a row, a testament to the growing unity among farmers from different parts of Africa who come together to learn from one another about how traditional knowledge is used to conserve traditional seeds. So far, the camp has attracted farmers from more than 30 African countries, showcasing the power of collective action in the fight for seed conservation.
This year’s boot camp has been enriched by the participation of farmers from the Informal Alliance, who lost their land to land-based investments in Uganda. Their presence not only underscores the power of collective action but also highlights the resilience and determination of these farmers in the face of adversity, inspiring others to join the effort to conserve local seeds.
The boot camp idea stems from a research study conducted by the Seed Savers Network in some counties in Kenya, which found that over 50 seed varieties were at risk of extinction.
Tabby Munyiri, the Communication and Advocacy Officer at SSN, said the mission is to ensure that other players are on board to join farmers in conserving agro-biodiversity by strengthening community food systems to improve seed access and enhance food sovereignty.
“SSN is working with over 120,000 farmers across Kenya, and they have already built community seed banks, which makes us the largest community seed banks in Africa,” Said Tabby.
She added that seed banks are repositories where communities conserve local and indigenous seeds. She revealed that the world is currently witnessing a significant loss of agrobiodiversity, with many crop and animal species on the verge of extinction due to factors such as climate change, industrial agriculture, and urbanization.
The boot camp will run for two weeks.
