Farmers call on Government to abolish seed law
By Milliam.Murigi, September 21, 2022Smallholder farmers yesterday called on the government to abolish the current seed law which they termed as punitive as it criminalises them for selling and sharing seeds that are unregistered and uncertified.
Speaking in Nairobi after filing a public interest litigation at the Machakos law courts, farmers led by Francis Ngiri(pictured) said that smallholder farmers will not relent until the government amends these neo-colonial laws that give free leeway for big multinationals and profit-driven entities to pirate local resources and exercise control over smallholder farmers.
He stated that many smallholder farmers rely on informal farmer-managed seed systems where farmers exchange indigenous seeds with each other to enable food production. Locking farmers out of agriculture by punitive seed laws will reduce agricultural productivity which in turn lowers income and food supply.
Ngiri noted that certified seeds are also not affordable and very few farmers can afford them plus the inputs required there. Additionally, only a very few Kenyans are aware of the full extent of its punitive nature. He added that for the sake of food security and safety, the government should amend these punitive seed laws and allow farmers to freely share and sell indigenous seeds.