Seed Sovereignty in Africa: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

A fierce battle is currently being waged over Africa’s seed systems. In recent years, the private seed industry has made dramatic gains in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and numerous private and public interventions are underway to restructure and ‘modernize’ seed systems, underpinned by the Green Revolution narrative. Key strategies of civil society groups have centred on supporting agro-ecological farming systems that integrate, strengthen and validate farmer-managed seed systems. As the majority of seed cultivated on the continent is saved on farms, exchanged and locally traded by farmers, this provides a solid base for alternative seed sovereignty systems to thrive outside the credit and corporate market.