Good people,

The month of May is here and yet the rains show no signs of reducing...what do SEEDS have to do with floods and droughts, you may ask? Everything! Seeds give life and with life, the ecosystem, in all its diversity and resilience, has evolved organically, over millennia.

• Seeds are an important entry point for development interventions, including achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Seeds, in their most diversified and natural form, can deliver an array of benefits for smallholder farmers and consumers;These benefits range from improved nutrition and food security to better livelihoods and resilience to climate change.
• There is a serious threat to diversified seed: Corporate multinational’s disrespect for seed diversity and their insatiable greed for profits and the ensuing monopolistic food system is a threat that is contributing to deteriorating environmental and human health: There are, however, concerted efforts to change this narrative: Professor Olivier De Schutter, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food(2008 – 2014) and the co-Chair of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems(IPES-Food), has , recently written on the need for a shift from Uniformity to Diversity and for Consumers to Citizens: A dual transition. SEED democracy and diversity is at the heart of this paradigm shift: http://www.ipes-food.org/images/CoreDocs/BEmag2_Prof.-Oliver-De-Schutter_article_-p-11-13.pdf
• What does seed diversity have to with improved livelihoods and food security? Here is a self-explanatory video featuring the Masai of Kenya and how they are coping with weather extremes, with the assistance of pastoralist friendly technology. https://www.pciglobal.org/afriscouthttps://www.pciglobal.org/afriscout/
• And did you know that ITPGRFA is the only international legally binding instrument that recognizes Farmers’ Rights? The United Nation’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources in Agriculture (ITPGRFA) both acknowledge the contribution of farmers in the development and conservation of agricultural diversity (including seeds) and set up mechanisms to facilitate the flow of genetic materials that are important for agriculture. Seed is the most important agricultural INPUT.
• Are there policy frameworks to protect our seed biodiversity? Are there African based policy frameworks to address protection of seed variety and FMSS? YES: http://www.aripo.org/services/traditional-knowledge
• What is the way forward towards preserving, protecting and saving our diversified seeds? ”At the pan-African level farmers, support organizations, consumers, experts and a wider range of social movements and stakeholders must come together in a long-term consultative process to critically discuss the state of Farmer Managed Seed Systems(FMSS) on the continent, elaborate a shared vision and the potential policy frameworks or mechanisms to effectively support and develop resilient FMSS. http://afsafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SEED-POLICY-ENG-ONLINE-SINGLE-PAGES.pdf