Zimbabwe’s Seed Sovereignty Is Under Threat – and With It, the Legacy of Land Reform
On February 16 and 17, representatives from the Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers’ Forum (ZIMSOFF) and other members of the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Program (ZSSP) will participate in a public dialogue with Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development. The consultation, organized by ZSSP members who are PELUM Zimbabwe (Participatory Ecological Land Use Management) partners, will address proposed changes to the country’s seed legislation.
At the heart of this dialogue is the extent to which Zimbabwe should align its domestic law (specifically the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act and the Seed Act) with the 1991 UPOV Convention. UPOV is the international framework that governs national seed laws. While this dialogue may appear routine, much is at stake. The outcome will affect not only Zimbabwe’s farmers but also the broader question of sovereignty across Africa.
Peasant movements and food sovereignty activists have long criticized the UPOV 1991 Convention, which prioritizes the interests of multinational corporations over farmers’ rights. It dramatically expanded intellectual property protections for commercial seed breeders while curtailing farmers’ age-old rights to save, exchange, and sell their own seeds. Under the earlier 1978 Act, farmers were generally free to save and reuse seeds from their harvest. Under UPOV 1991, this right becomes an optional exception at best. Even where granted, farmers may save seeds only for their own land and must often pay royalties to corporations. The exchange of saved seeds with neighbors (a practice through which over 80% of all seeds in Africa are still produced) is strictly forbidden.