Our Seeds, Our Sovereignty: CSOs Push Back on Commercial Bias In The EAC Seed Bill, 2025

CEFROHT joined EAC regional CSO partners in a regional webinar on the EAC Seed and Plant Varieties Bill, 2025, drawing over 100 participants from civil society, farmer networks, legal experts, researchers, and advocacy groups across the EAC region.

Discussions centered on the draft Bill’s bias towards commercial seed systems and its failure to uphold the rights of smallholder farmers who have, for centuries, produced, preserved, and exchanged indigenous seed.

In particular, the Bill neglects farmer-managed seed systems and conflicts with the EALA resolution on agroecology, as well as international and regional human rights obligations, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Participants highlighted that the Bill undermines the principles of a human rights-based approach, accountability, participation, and transparency, by excluding farmers’ voices and disregarding their right to save, share, and exchange seeds.

The webinar recommended that the Bill be amended to protect farmers’ rights, integrate provisions for farmer-managed seed systems, and align with human rights frameworks that partner states have committed to.