Seed is life
We know all too well how farmer seed has been under threat from corporate capture, for decades, on the African continent and globally, not only through the industrialisation of our agricultural systems but also due to the proliferation of policies and laws that favour commercial, industrial breeders, which increasingly criminalise smallholder farmers from saving, reusing and sharing their seed. And yet, farmer seed is intrinsic to sustaining the genetic diversity of our agriculture – with even the corporate sector being reliant on this genetic pool to develop industrial seed.
Farmer seed plays a central role in meeting the food and nutritional needs of most of the African population. It is estimated that between 80% and 90% of all food produced on the continent is by smallholder farmers, who largely rely on own farm saved seed as well as local farmer-led networks for their seed.
Primarily, we feature communities and farmers on the ground that are reviving and maintaining indigenous seed systems, in partnership with civil society and government, mainly in South Africa, as well as Zimbabwe.
The history of encroachment, and the struggles to reclaim our seed, is recounted by four women affiliated with ACB, including director Mariam Mayet.