In June, SKI joined the fellow Farmers Rights advocates in N’Djamena, Chad at the Pan African Seed Governance convening hosted by AFSA. A critical issue on people’s agenda was the African Union’s Farmer Managed Seed Systems (FMSS) Policy Framework and Strategy and Action Plan – a proposed policy and process which SKI and AFSA allies have been following for the past 2 years – although AU engagement on this topic dates back much further. The gathering provided a valuable opportunity for many to engage directly, for the first time, with the final documents presented by the African Union Commission.
During the discussions, farmers and civil society organisations welcomed the African Union’s increased recognition of farmer-managed seed systems, reflecting years of advocacy and collective action across the continent. However, participants also raised significant concerns about whether the proposed framework goes far enough to recognise and strengthen farmers’ seed systems as highly diverse, living social-ecological systems, rather than treating them primarily as components of the formal commercial seed sector.
Participants also noted the omission of protective measures for Farmers Rights against biopiracy and the lack of mechanisms for implementing government obligations under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). Without these safeguards, participants felt the policy risks missing a crucial opportunity to advance Farmers’ Rights and could leave Africa’s rich genetic resources and seed diversity more vulnerable to exploitation.
Following the conference, SKI’s Seed Working Group reflected on the outcomes and recommended a follow-up process to ensure that farmers and civil society organisations across Southern Africa have the opportunity to engage with the proposed policy and strategy. Many organisations in the region have not yet had the opportunity to review or comment on the documents.
SKI will therefore facilitate an online dialogue with farmers and key civil society partners to share the proposed Policy Framework and Strategy, encourage regional discussion and gather feedback. The outcomes of these discussions will inform a submission SKI will make to the African Union on the proposed FMSS Policy Framework. Read the N’Djamena Declaration here
