Farmer-managed seed systems on the continental agenda
What made the Extraordinary Session on African Seed Systems extraordinary?
The African Union (AU) convened an Extraordinary Session on African Seed Systems in Eswatini from 5 to 7 October 2026. After years of marginalization and neglect, farmer-managed seed systems (FMSS) were on the agenda, a new FMSS policy was on the table, and civil society organizations (CSOs) and farmers’ organizations were in the same room as the formal seed sector. That was, indeed, extraordinary.
It was not just about sharing the same space. Participants’ positions also aligned, with government representatives joining CSOs and farmers’ organizations in strongly endorsing FMSS. All agreed on the contribution of FMSS to food security, biodiversity and livelihoods across the continent. The representative from Kenya summed it up: “When it comes to FMSS, we have been burying our heads in the sand for far too long, even as we have known that 80% of our seeds come from it.”
The AU FMSS Policy Framework presented at the summit was even more pointed in its assessment of existing challenges and its recommendations for adoption and implementation. It notes that national seed laws, regulations, decrees and other instruments—including requirements for distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) and value for cultivation and use (VCU)—were designed for the formal seed system and do not provide for the production, quality control or commercialization of seeds under FMSS. It also highlights the erosion of genetic resources and the exclusion of custodian farmers, including women, from policy spaces.
The AU FMSS Policy Framework commits Member States to, among other things:
- Adopt policy and institutional frameworks that recognize, protect and strengthen FMSS and farmers’ rights to save, use and exchange seeds;
- Introduce a farmer variety seed class and regulate quality declared seed (QDS);
- Mobilize investment from governments, the private sector and development partners in FMSS infrastructure, such as community seed banks; and
- Establish an integrated African Seed and Gene Bank System, linking a continental institution with national and regional gene banks.
Toward a pluralistic seed system
A key achievement of the summit was its recognition that FMSS and the formal seed system complement each other. In the words of the AU policy presenter, the two are “not here to compete but to complement each other.” Building on that principle, the new AU FMSS Policy Framework “intends to cover gaps, areas and crops that the private sectors do not invest in, such as NUS [neglected and underutilized species], and improve last mile seed delivery, bringing seeds closest to farmers.”
A pluralistic seed system has also been the guiding principle of SWISSAID’s work on seeds and its flagship program, CROPS4HD, as set out in its “Position paper on policies for pluralistic seed systems”. This approach reflects how farmers combine seeds from different sources to meet their needs. Policies must not restrict farmers from using, saving and exchanging their own seeds or pushing them to obtain only certified seeds. This is particularly important given the summit’s strong recommendations on certification, harmonized standards and cross-border seed trade.
Moving from commitment to implementation
For SWISSAID and other CSOs at the summit, this was a step in the right direction, but much depends on translating the policy into national frameworks and putting it into practice. As His Majesty King Mswati III of the host country reminded participants in his closing remarks, “frameworks that remain on paper feed no one.”
Successful implementation and monitoring of the AU FMSS Policy Framework will require the meaningful participation of CSOs, farmers and other seed-sector actors. SWISSAID therefore facilitated the participation of many of its CSO and farmer-group partners at the summit, helping bring the voices of millions of farmers into these decision-making spaces. CEFROHT, one of the CSOs invited by SWISSAID, put it this way: “The concerns of FMSS custodians about the EAC [East African Community] Seed Bill were placed before continental audiences.”
CEFROHT and the Kenya Seed Savers Network (SSN-K), another farmers’ organization invited by SWISSAID, took part in two panel discussions. The first was a side event organized by the PELUM Association, which represents 12 million farmers in Africa. The second was co-organized by SWISSAID and its partners AFSA, Oxfam Novib and SKI. At the latter event, SSN-K presented the recent court victory in which Kenyan farmers’ groups secured a ruling that the country’s restrictive Seed Bill violated their rights and was unconstitutional. CEFROHT presented its work to organize CSO participation in consultations on the EAC Seed Bill 2025 and submit feedback to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). SWISSAID also facilitated the participation of Honorable Amongin Jaqueline of the EALA Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR) Committee, who made a direct public commitment to participants. She assured East Africans that the suggestions on FMSS made during the public hearing had been incorporated and that the Committee was ready to present its report to plenary.
Post-summit mobilization and next steps
The summit offered an important opportunity for actors working on FMSS to come together and develop a shared strategy for implementing and monitoring the new Policy Framework. As the government representative from Uganda succinctly asked: “Once this is adopted, how will it be tracked in the Africa Seed Sector Performance Index (ASSPI) and what are the indicators?” This was both a question and an invitation to CSOs and other actors working on FMSS to prepare and organize for implementation—and they are rising to the occasion.
SWISSAID and its CSO and farmers’ organization partners are organizing webinars to share these highlights with a wider audience. Their joint work will continue at the 1st East African Indigenous Seed Conference, which SSN-K will organize in November 2026, and which is expected to bring together more CSOs, farmers’ organizations and policymakers. Momentum for FMSS is growing, and SWISSAID is actively encouraging partners to seize this opportunity.
Written by Kibrom Mehari, Seed Policy Advisor at SWISSAID