Environmental defenders warn ahead of UNCCD’s COP17 in Mongolia that development banks are financing critical mineral projects that accelerate desertification, water depletion and deforestation while claiming to support a just energy transition.

By the Witness Radio team

NAIROBI, Kenya: Seed sovereignty champions, farmers, researchers, and civil society groups from across East Africa have united to launch a media campaign for the first Eastern Africa Indigenous Seed Conference. Their call is urgent: recognize and protect farmer-managed seed systems as seed regulations, commercialization, and the loss of indigenous diversity threaten the region. The campaign aims to rally smallholder farmers for the conference, highlighting how indigenous seeds and ancestral wisdom can revive biodiversity, combat climate change, and secure food sovereignty.

Set for 17 to 20 November 2026 at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, the four-day conference will gather farmers, pastoralists, researchers, policymakers, seed guardians, civil society, and development partners to shape the future of indigenous seeds and food systems in the region.

The conference will be held under the theme “Realizing the Right to Food through Seed Sovereignty.”

This launch comes as farmers and seed sovereignty advocates question whether East Africa’s seed laws and regulations truly honor the farmer-managed systems that for generations have allowed communities to select, conserve, exchange, and replant their own seeds.

Activists warn that the growing focus on certified and commercial seed systems threatens traditional knowledge, reduces local seed diversity, and undermines farmers’ freedom to save, exchange, and reproduce varieties adapted to their land.

Daniel Wanjama, Executive Director of Seed Savers Network, said farmer-managed seed systems remain central to food production across the region, arguing that commercial seed systems cannot provide the seed diversity farmers need in different environments.

Wanjama added that about 80 percent of the seeds farmers use in the region come from farmer-managed seed systems, underscoring the importance of supporting farmers in conserving and developing their own varieties.

“There is no commercial seed system that can provide the seeds that farmers need because diversity is part of a resilient mechanism,” he said.

He emphasized that preserving a wide variety of locally adapted seed varieties is crucial as farmers face mounting challenges from climate change.

Wanjama also pointed out a troubling disconnect between current seed policies and the realities faced by smallholder farmers across face across “The policies across the region are not aligned, and just to give you an example, recently last year in Kenya, the high court found the act that is governing the seed sector in Kenya was unconstitutional because it is limiting the farmers’ rights in being able to access seeds,” he said.

He argued that some African seed laws borrow regulatory models from highly commercialized agricultural systems abroad, making them ill-suited for local contexts.

“The laws are cut and paste from the global north where farming is largely commercial and large-scale; they don’t fit our circumstances. That’s why we need to come together and discuss what we can do about it,” he added.

Amid the seed sovereignty debate, African farmers and civil society organizations are championing Farmer-Managed Seed Systems, building community seed banks, and pushing for greater recognition of farmers as stewards of seed conservation and exchange.

In Uganda, farmers and civil society groups are increasingly turning to community-driven seed conservation, offering a grassroots alternative or complement to formal seed supply systems.

Nancy Mugimba, National Coordinator of the Eastern and Southern Africa Smallholder Farmers Forum (ESAFF) Uganda, said farmers sometimes face planting delays because existing support systems provide inadequate access to seed.

She said some of the seeds provided to farmers are also not necessarily suited to the conditions of particular communities.

Mugimba noted that efforts are now focused on strengthening community seed banks, empowering farmers to cultivate and safeguard the varieties they know and trust.

“We have introduced seed banking in communities, which is not new because farmers were already doing it at home. We have just increased capacity to ensure it works effectively,” she said.

She observed that farmers are more motivated to protect indigenous varieties when they see their vital role in sustaining food supplies and ensuring seed access within their communities.

Panelists urged governments to boost support for farmer-managed seed systems, advocating for multiplying indigenous varieties beyond research and breeding. They stressed that empowering community seed banks and local seed multiplication would expand access to diverse, locally adapted varieties.

The discussions also showcased the diverse strategies emerging across East Africa to revitalize and improve seed systems.

In Tanzania, the seed sector is undergoing reforms to expand access to and use of improved seed while strengthening seed production, quality assurance, and commercial distribution. The Tanzania Seed Sector Development Strategy (TSSDS), approved in May 2026 and covering up to 2030, aims to double the area under improved seed from about 3 million to 6 million hectares and expand the agro-dealer network from around 3,000 to 12,000 to improve farmers’ access to quality seed.

Daud Manongi, Program Lead for the Biodiversity Conservation Program at Tanzanian organization TABIO, said farmers still face restrictions on selling seed within the country’s formal regulatory framework.

“Our farmers are currently not allowed to sell their seeds within the developed framework, but so far we have approved seeds,” Manongi said.

He said the Tanzanian government has approved 13 local varieties for wider production and use. At the same time, discussions are ongoing with the Tanzania Seed Certification Agency (TASC) on how to make registration and market processes more accessible to smallholder farmers.

Manongi noted that farmers and organizations championing local varieties still face hurdles like taxation and limited dialogue with policymakers.

“There is inconsistent engagement with policymakers, and sometimes it is difficult for them to cooperate with farmers on accessing locally adapted varieties because of tax issues,” he said.

He also said agricultural extension services often prioritize commercial seed production, leaving farmers with little support for indigenous varieties.

According to Manongi, farmers urgently need access to knowledge about indigenous seed production and conservation to boost the availability of locally adapted varieties.

Activists insist that farmers’ power to conserve, exchange, and reproduce seeds is deeply tied to food security, biodiversity, cultural heritage, and the resilience of communities facing climate change.

The inaugural Eastern Africa Indigenous Seed Conference, organized by Seed Savers Network with partners like Witness Radio, promises to be a vital regional platform for these urgent issues.

This November, the conference will spotlight the defense of farmer-managed seed systems against corporate and legal pressures, while also strengthening climate resilience, safeguarding biodiversity, and weaving stronger regional networks among farmers, researchers, policymakers, and civil society.

The event comes as climate change, biodiversity loss, commercial agriculture, and shifting policies intensify strain on traditional farming systems across the region.

For smallholder farmers, seed sovereignty is about more than where seeds come from. Advocates say it is a question of who holds the power over food production, and whether farmers will retain the freedom and ability to save, share, and reproduce the seeds that sustain their communities.

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.