Good morning fellow farmers and distinguished guests
We are here today because recognise “Seed is the foundation of life. Those who control seed, control food and control life.”
We are here under the banner of The Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI) – our regional partnership which is advancing agroecology and food sovereignty across the region. For over 10 years, SKI has journeyed with us, bringing together our experience in agroecology practice, working with us in participatory research, and together making our movement for agroecology and food sovereignty in southern Africa a reality.
Across Southern Africa we have been restoring seed diversity, spreading agroecology and reclaiming our seed sovereignty. We are here today representing our communities across Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We stand together to uphold our rights to continue to save, keep, sow, share and protect our diverse seed and the indigenous knowledge systems that keeps this alive.
These rights are recognised in the legally binding International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources and human rights frameworks including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP). These rights include the right to save, use, exchange and sell seed. This also recognises seed as the basis to the right to food, and right to livelihoods. Nation states are obligated to protect our farmers rights.
Why We Are Here:
We, Farmers, from across Southern African have come together in Harare to affirm our Farmers’ Rights and strengthen collective action:
To Free Our Seed.
To Defend Farmers’ Rights.
To Say No to UPOV.
To Call for Support for Agroecology.
We build on our campaign which began with a regional farmers’ caravan to Zambia in 2022. Since then our messages and demands as farmers have been carried by us into national, regional and global spaces.
We Reiterate Our Demands here:
We smallholder farmers from Malawi, Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe call on governments to:
1. Make Agroecology a National Policy Priority: Support and implement national agroecology strategies/policies and direct public investment, research and extension towards making these strategies work for us and guarantee diverse and resilient food systems.
2. Protect Farmer Seed and Indigenous Knowledge: Recognise farmer-saved seed as seed and protect farmers’ rights to save use exchange and sell it. Protect indigenous knowledge and recognise the communities that have safeguarded seed diversity over millennia.
3. Recognise Women, Youth and Seed Custodians as the original breeders and carers of the immense diversity of seed that exists today. All seed comes from us and must remain in farmers hands.
4. Put Farmers at the Centre of Policy and Research: We have a right to be meaningfully included in policy making processes. Research must be directed towards our needs and support what works on the ground to restore resilient diverse food systems.
5. Reject Policies that Undermine Farmers’ Rights: Ensure seed and Plant Variety Protection (PVP) laws protect our seed diversity and farmer-led systems. We reject UPOV-91 and all policies that threaten our rights to save, use, exchange and sell seed.
Our Call;
We call on governments and policy-makers at national regional and global levels to recognise farmers as rights holders and knowledge holders and to support the transition to agroecological food systems.
The future of food systems depends on protecting our seed diversity, strengthening our seed systems and ensuring that our knowledge and leadership within our communities is recognised and supported – not undermined.
We gather in Harare to defend seed diversity.
We gather to strengthen farmer-led seed systems.
We gather to advance agroecology.
We gather to Free Our Seed.
We say “Our Seeds! Our Rights! Our Lives!”
We are happy to use this opportunity to launch our new seed campaign now. Join us at the festival today, visit our stand to learn more about seed sovereignty and the threats we face from UPOV.
Thank you for your attention
