The Pan-African movement, AFSA, calls on African governments to recognize and strengthen peasant seed systems, essential for food sovereignty, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
During the sixth edition of the Central African Farmers’ Seed Fair (FOSPAC6), scheduled from February 27 to March 1, 2026 in Esse, under the theme: « Community Seed Banks, Crucible for Safeguarding Local Genetic Heritage: What Role for Councils? », the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) intends to amplify the « My Seed My Life » campaign at the level of Cameroon and Central Africa. The campaign, launched by the largest African network of farmers’ organizations (on April 26, 2024, during International Seed Day), aims to support farmers’ seed systems, under the slogan: « Seed sovereignty is our heritage: let’s protect it, strengthen it, share it. »
“My Seed My Life” campaign previously aims to promote peasant seed systems and resist the encroachment of industrial agriculture. As a member of AFSA, the Network of Actors for Sustainable Development (RADD) is partnering with this Pan-African institution, which works to defend the rights of African producers/farmers, to call on African governments to recognize and strengthen peasant seed systems, which are essential for food sovereignty, biodiversity, and climate resilience. The idea is to highlight the value of peasant seeds and their importance in the lives of communities, explains RADD’s Executive Secretary, Marie Crescence Ngobo, who also chairs the organizing technical committee.
As FOSPAC6 showcases community seed banks, peasant seed systems represent more than just a means of ensuring food security. They demonstrate the resilience, ingenuity, and cultural richness of African farming communities. “By empowering farmers to grow diverse crops and preserve traditional knowledge, peasant seed systems lay the foundations for a future where African food systems are not only sustainable but also deeply rooted in the traditions and values of local communities,” quotes AFSA.
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