By the Witness Radio Team

For generations, East African farmers have chosen seeds from their harvests, saved them, swapped them with neighbors, and planted them each season. This tradition has helped communities nurture crops suited to their unique soils, climates, and food cultures, passing agricultural wisdom through generations.

Yet as East Africa edges closer to a unified set of rules for seeds and plant varieties, farmer groups and agroecology champions are asking: Will farmer-managed seed systems survive in tomorrow’s food landscape?

This concern surfaced during a virtual gathering hosted by the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT) and Greenpeace Africa, where youth and civil society from across East Africa united under the banner of “Youth Agroecology and the Fight for Seed Sovereignty in Food Systems Governance.”

The discussion came as the East African Community considers the East African Seed and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025, which seeks to establish common rules for regulating seeds and plant varieties across the region.

The Bill was introduced to the East African Legislative Assembly and then underwent stakeholder consultations and public hearings across EAC partner states in August.

Doreen Akware of CEFROHT said the proposed law could have far-reaching consequences because it will shape how the region regulates seed.

“This bill lacks the disclosure of origin, prior informed consent, and also benefit-sharing safeguards,” she said.

The organizations argue the issue goes beyond regulating commercial seed. At stake is whether the new rules will honor generations of farmers who have saved, shared, and multiplied their own seeds.

Abert Rwancwende, a food justice advocate and agroecology officer at CEFROHT, said the Bill focuses on seed testing, variety release, certification, cross-border movement of certified seed, and protection of plant breeders’ rights. But this raises concerns because farmers’ rights lack the same explicit recognition.

“The bill’s own memorandum says its purpose is to create a good environment for private companies to multiply and sell seed. In the whole bill, farmers are never mentioned as people with rights,” Rwancwende said.

Civil society groups insist that commercial and farmer-managed seed systems already coexist, and both deserve a place in the region’s legal framework.

Dieudonne Sindikubwabo, Head of Programs at the Rwanda Organic Agriculture Movement, said the proposed law has left questions about what will happen to smallholder farmers who depend on their own seed systems.

“It is uncertain what will happen to these small-scale farmers because they normally exchange, save, and multiply seeds. Since this law does not mention their work, their future is unclear,” he questions.

Sindikubwabo pointed out that farmers already possess the know-how to choose and preserve seeds that thrive in their own environments.

Tabby Munyiri, a communications specialist with Seed Savers Network Kenya, emphasized that farmer-managed seed systems are vital, granting communities true independence over what they plant.

She said Seed Savers Network works with 125 community seed banks and over 405,000 community members, promoting farmer-managed seed systems, traditional seeds, and traditional foods.

She added that community seed banks help farmers safeguard and share crop varieties that could otherwise vanish forever.

The conversation also spotlighted the role of women, who are deeply involved in choosing, saving, and storing seeds, yet often have little say in decisions about agricultural resources.

Asma Mohammed, Program Coordinator at AYUUB in Somalia, said gender cannot be separated from discussions about seed and agriculture.

“Gender intersects everything, and it also intersects with seeds and agroecology and agriculture at large,” Mohammed said.

She noted that women carry vital knowledge about seeds, such as which varieties flourish in certain conditions, but are too often left out of ownership and policy decisions.

“Women already are holding the seed and the knowledge, but still they are excluded from the ownership and decision-making table,” she said.

The organizations are calling for farmers to stay at the heart of the system, with the freedom to save, share, and multiply seeds. Akware believes there is still time to shape the proposed law before it is finalized.

“The bill still has some decision points ahead of us; therefore, this discussion is not just for awareness, but we see that we can still do something,” she said.

By the Witness Radio Team

The global rush to secure minerals for the clean-energy transition is exposing local and indigenous communities to land dispossession, conflicts, human rights abuses or violations, and attacks on those who challenge mining projects, according to a new report by the Business & Human Rights Resource Center (BHRRC).

The report, Mining for the Future, Undermining Trust: Participation Deficit at the Heart of the Energy Transition, warns that growing demand for minerals like copper, lithium, nickel, and other transition minerals is advancing faster than mechanisms to ensure affected communities have a meaningful say in decisions about mining projects on their land.

Tanzania is among the African countries positioning itself as a future supplier of minerals needed for the global energy transition. The country has significant potential for graphite, nickel and rare earth elements, while investor interest is growing in minerals used in batteries and renewable-energy technologies.

In Kandaskira, a village in Simanjiro District, the drive to extract these minerals raises deep worries about land loss, water scarcity, forced displacement, and exclusion from decisions shaping their future.

Indigenous rights organization PINGO’s Forum has documented land conflicts, fears of forced displacement, risks of water contamination, and exclusion of communities from negotiations with mining companies around graphite projects. It also recorded unfulfilled corporate social responsibility promises, violence against community members resisting mining projects, and gender-based violence.

Rombo Ole, chairman of Kandaskira, said communities need clear information about the opportunities and potential impacts of the energy transition. He also called for transparent laws, procedures, and fair compensation for people whose land, livelihoods, or resources are affected.

“A just energy transition is important because energy is about people and communities. The transition must put people at the center and ensure no community is left behind or unfairly affected,” Rombo said.

Kandaskira’s story echoes a broader struggle faced by communities living near transition-mineral projects worldwide.

According to the BHRRC report, the resulting “participation deficit” risks undermining public trust and could fuel conflicts, lawsuits, and delays to projects supporting the global transition away from fossil fuels.

“The energy transition cannot be built on the silencing or exclusion of the people and communities who bear its costs,” the report argues.

The findings come as demand for transition minerals is projected to rise sharply in coming decades. The report estimates that by 2040, the share of global mineral demand for the energy transition could rise from 20% to 45% for copper, 38% to 92% for lithium, and below 10% to 54% for nickel.

As demand surges, so do the dangers for those who challenge mining projects.

The report documents over 1,880 attacks against critics of the mining sector in 11 years, highlighting a shrinking civic space around mining activities.

It identifies 1,226 allegations of abuse connected to transition-mineral mining since 2010. About one in six involved attacks on human-rights defenders, while 25 cases involved strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as SLAPPs.

The report says more than a third of human-rights defenders murdered over the past decade were raising concerns about mining, while close to 40% were Indigenous defenders.

The findings come against a broader deterioration in civic space globally. According to the report, only seven percent of the world’s population currently live in countries where civic space is considered free or relatively open.

The report says restrictions on civic freedoms make it harder for communities, journalists, environmental defenders, and human-rights organizations to scrutinize mining projects or challenge decisions affecting their land and livelihoods.

The report recorded at least 173 cases in 2024 and 2025 where communities or workers pushed back against abuses linked to the energy transition.

It identified 125 legal cases brought by people affected by abusive energy-transition projects. Eighty-nine involved transition-mineral mining, while 71 lawsuits targeted states for authorizing business activities.

The report calls on governments to protect civic freedoms and human-rights defenders, strengthen Indigenous rights and free, prior and informed consent, improve transparency around mining contracts and licenses, and ensure that affected communities have meaningful influence over decisions.

It also calls on mining companies and investors to conduct human-rights due diligence, establish effective grievance mechanisms, disclose project information, provide fair compensation and benefit-sharing, and commit to zero tolerance for attacks against human-rights defenders.

The report warns that unless communities have a meaningful role in mining decisions, the rush to build a clean-energy future could deepen the very conflicts and inequalities the transition is meant to address.

The Commander of the 3 Infantry Division, Brig Gen Michael Hyeroba Wakala, has warned communities in the Karamoja and Teso sub-regions against escalating communal land conflicts, saying the disputes pose a threat to peace, security and socio-economic development.

Brig Gen Hyeroba made the remarks during a joint regional security meeting at the 403 Brigade Headquarters in Matany, Napak District, where security leaders reviewed persistent land disputes in Abim, Napak and Kapelebyong districts.

He said the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) would not tolerate violence, incitement or illegal occupation arising from land disputes.

“Land conflicts are now a major security threat. I direct all commanders under 3 Division to take firm action against anyone who takes the law into their own hands. No community has the right to evict, attack or destroy property of another under the guise of land ownership. We shall enforce peace and protect every Ugandan,” Brig Gen Hyeroba said.

He said disputes involving gazetted land, communal grazing corridors and inter-district boundaries had been exploited to fuel violence, and tasked the joint security committee with conducting a comprehensive verification of gazetted land ownership and submitting recommendations to the Government.

“This committee must address the historical and administrative gaps. We need to know what is gazetted, what is communal, and what belongs to the local government. Without clarity, criminals will continue to hide behind land conflicts,” he added.

The Resident District Commissioner of Napak, Mr Milton Odongo, called for closer cooperation between security agencies and local leaders, saying isolated interventions had failed to deliver lasting solutions.

“We are moving from talking to action. We have resolved to deploy joint security teams in all hotspots across the three districts to stop violence, prevent illegal demarcations and protect lives and property. Any local leader who incites communities over land will be held personally accountable,” Odongo said.

He said the conflicts had outgrown local council mechanisms and now required a coordinated, multi-agency response.

“Land conflict is no longer a mere community disagreement; it is a security matter. We shall not allow it to reverse the peace we have achieved in Karamoja and Teso,” he said.

Mr. Odongo also said he would engage the Minister of Karamoja Affairs to facilitate the involvement of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Local Government in developing a lasting policy solution.

The Deputy RDC of Abim District, Mr Gilbert Okwir, called for unity among communities and closer coordination among security agencies.

“The people of Abim, Napak and Kapelebyong are one. We cannot afford to fight over boundaries. I appeal to all security agencies to speak with one voice and find a lasting solution,” Okwir said.

He commended the UPDF, Uganda Police Force and Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) for joint operations that he said had helped curb cattle raids, which had contributed to tensions over land.

The Deputy Commander of the 5 Infantry Division, Col Gai Fraser Mpadwa, urged field commanders to strengthen intelligence sharing and community engagement to prevent land disputes from escalating into violence.

The meeting brought together the Commander of 3 Infantry Division, Brig Gen Michael Hyeroba Wakala; Deputy Commander of 5 Infantry Division, Col Gai Fraser Mpadwa; brigade commanders; ASTU commanders; District Internal Security Officers; intelligence officers; and Resident District Commissioners from the affected districts.

Source:  chimpreports.com