The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is in the process of developing the East African Community (EAC) Seed and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025. This legislation has significant implications for farmers, seed systems, and agricultural biodiversity across the EAC region. We urge stakeholders to review our position paper and endorse our call for critical amendments to ensure the bill supports farmers’ rights, seed diversity, and sustainable agriculture.
The draft EAC Seed Bill, as it currently stands, contains several provisions that could undermine traditional seed systems, restrict farmers’ access to diverse seed varieties, and favor commercial seed companies over smallholder farmers. Key concerns include stringent registration requirements for seeds, limitations on seed saving and exchange, and inadequate recognition of farmers’ rights to use and conserve indigenous seed varieties.
These provisions threaten to erode the rich agricultural biodiversity that smallholder farmers have cultivated for generations. They also risk marginalizing farmers who rely on traditional seed systems for their livelihoods and food security.
To address these concerns, we have outlined a series of recommended amendments in our position paper. These include: 1. Recognizing and protecting farmers’ rights to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seeds. 2. Simplifying seed registration processes to accommodate diverse seed varieties, including indigenous and farmer-developed seeds. 3. Promoting participatory seed breeding and conservation initiatives that involve farmers in decision-making processes. 4. Ensuring that seed policies support agroecological practices and biodiversity conservation. 5. Establishing mechanisms for stakeholder engagement, including farmers, civil society, and indigenous communities, in the development and implementation of seed policies.
We call on policymakers, civil society organizations, farmers’ groups, and other stakeholders to endorse our position paper and advocate for these critical amendments to the EAC Seed Bill.