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.
