For as long as humans have practiced agriculture, they have also been producers. Selecting the best plants, reproducing them, and exchanging seeds has always been a matter of course. This is how the immense diversity of varieties we know today was born. But today, this millennial cycle is threatened: in 100 years, 75% of cultivated plant varieties have disappeared.
While a small number of multinationals (Syngenta, Bayer, Corteva, BASF) are taking control of half the global market, farmers worldwide are resisting to protect our food autonomy.
It is often overlooked, but farming families on our planet contribute significantly to food security. According to a study by the NGO ETC Group, they produce 70% of the world’s food using less than 25% of agricultural resources such as land, water, and fossil fuels.
They thus prove to be significantly more efficient and ecological than the industrial food sector, which consumes 75% of terrestrial agricultural resources to feed 30% of the global population.
Why strive to preserve heritage varieties? Because they possess many qualities that laboratory seeds do not have.
Adaptation: these seeds adapt better to often difficult local climatic conditions, are undemanding, and resist diseases and pests.
Autonomy: Unlike hybrid or GMO varieties, farmers’ seeds do not require expensive chemical fertilizers or pesticides to achieve a good yield.
Health: They offer a diversity of nutrients and flavors that the industry, focused on wheat, corn, soy, and rice, has ultimately standardized.Such as Sorghum, for example, which has multiple benefits.
The free exchange of seeds is hindered by complex legal mechanisms. Under the guise of protecting “inventions,” patents and plant breeders’ rights prevent farmers from multiplying their own seeds. Simon Degelo, an expert at SWISSAID, highlights a major inconsistency. While Switzerland remains liberal on its own territory (often allowing multiplication for personal use), it pushes Southern countries through international agreements (like UPOV 91) to adopt much more restrictive laws. “It is particularly shocking that Switzerland forces partner countries to apply the directives of this agreement to the letter, knowing that it does not do so itself.”
In countries like Colombia, Kenya, or Ghana, saving one’s own seeds has become an act of resistance, sometimes borderline illegal. Through bilateral trade agreements and national laws, pressure is exerted on farming families in Southern countries. In many places, they are only legally allowed to use certified seeds from international corporations such as Corteva, Syngenta, and Bayer. If they use their own seeds, they can face criminal prosecution.
The video was produced by the Swiss Coalition for the Right to Seeds.
However, many farmers do not accept the loss of their traditional varieties. Thus, they create seed banks to preserve their varieties. In these banks, they store seeds in reserve, in case of a bad harvest, but also to exchange them with other farmers, or even sell them. “The activity of seed banks helps keep local varieties alive, and we are rediscovering varieties that were thought to have disappeared,” explains Simon Degelo.
Seed banks are also a place where people meet, share their knowledge about different varieties, and learn how to produce quality seeds. “Seed conservation is not just about the seeds. It is about preserving our territories, our water, our culture, and ultimately, reclaiming our food sovereignty,” explains Melissa Gómez Gil, a seed guardian in Riosucio, Colombia.
Maricela Gironza, a seed guardian in Colombia, also explains how important it is to be able to produce, exchange, sell, and cultivate one’s own seeds:
To counter this industrial dominance, SWISSAID leads projects in the Global South that promote the restoration and conservation of traditional seeds. Through networks of Community Seedbanks, farmers borrow seeds and return the same amount (plus a small surplus) after the harvest.
Furthermore, we are fighting in Europe and in the Global South to ensure that seeds remain a common good, free from any patents. In Switzerland, we advocate for the country to abandon directives on intellectual property rights regarding seeds and let partner countries freely decide on their own regulations. At the international level, it has been possible to anchor farmers’ rights through various treaties and declarations. SWISSAID is committed to ensuring that farmers’ rights are effectively implemented.
