Farmers conserve and improve food crops which constitute the basis of food and agriculture production worldwide, particularly those in centers of origin and crop diversity. Seeds are life for these communities and their families, but also for all humankind. Seeds of Sovereignty, a film produced as a collaboration between The Gaia Foundation, the African Biodiversity Network,MELCA Ethiopia and GRAIN, urges that efforts be taken to promote informal seed systems and with them the conservation of local varieties and cultural diversity.
The Global Forum on Agricultural Research, a multi-stakeholder platform bringing together actors to discuss a common vision for agriculture, recognizes that sovereignty over seed is foremost a Farmers’ Rights issue. Since 2013, GFAR has brought together relevant stakeholders with a goal to improve the implementation of Farmers' Rights through awareness-raising, capacity-building and support to improve legal and policy frameworks in developing countries—including Guatemala, Honduras and Malawi.