By Zachary Gava
Harare, (New Ziana) – Farmers and agro-ecology advocates have challenged African governments to protect indigenous seed systems from policies they say could undermine farmers’ control over seed, warning that seed diversity is critical to confronting climate change and safeguarding food systems.
Speaking at the 2026 Good Seed and Food Festival and National Farmers Dialogue at the Harare Botanical Gardens on Friday, PELUM Zimbabwe Country Coordinator, Theophilus Mudzindiko, who delivered remarks on behalf of the Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI), said the gathering demonstrated the growing importance of farmer-led solutions to food and climate challenges.
The two-day festival, running under the theme: “It’s Our Life: Safeguarding Indigenous Seeds and Food Diversity,” brings together farmers, seed custodians, food champions, researchers, market actors and development partners from Zimbabwe and beyond.
Mudzindiko said the festival, which marks 15 years of bottom-up transformation, was part of a wider movement promoting agro-ecology, farmer-managed seed systems and food diversity.
“Agro-ecology works. The climate crisis is real. Seed is the foundation of life and its diversity is the greatest asset against the continuous climate disasters we face,” he said.
He urged governments and development partners to increase support for agro-ecological farming and diverse seed systems, saying farmers could not afford to wait for policy action while climate-related challenges intensified.
A major concern raised at the dialogue was the influence of multinational seed and agro-chemical companies and their lobbying networks on agricultural and seed legislation.
Mudzindiko particularly pointed to proposed changes to plant breeders’ rights legislation in Zimbabwe and Zambia and concerns over alignment with the 1991 Act of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPDV).
Zimbabwe has previously had its draft Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation examined by UPOV for conformity with the 1991 Act.
Mudzindiko argued that stronger protection of farmers’ rights was essential to preserving the seed diversity showcased at the festival.
“Farmers’ rights are the practical expression of the diversity that we see here today at the Seed Festival,” he said.
He also cited former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, who described seeds as central to people’s cultures and food systems, arguing that control over seeds has profound implications for control over food and livelihoods.
The Good Seed and Food Festival, being held at the Harare Botanical Gardens, celebrates indigenous seeds, traditional foods and agro-ecological knowledge.
New Ziana
