Seeds

07.06.2024 | The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, points out a central problem: The demands of Switzerland and other countries threaten the farmer seed systems in the countries of the South, which are crucial for food security.

Biodiversity is at risk: of the original 6,500 plant varieties, just 150 are still cultivated today. Both humans and the environment suffer from this loss. Smallholders, scientists and politicians are working with SWISSAID to bring the old varieties back to life. This is part of our approach to ensuring greater food security.

As an expert in the fields of agroecology and gender equality, SWISSAID works in nine countries. On the ground and in close cooperation with local partners, we promote initiatives by people who are independently seeking a way out of poverty.

Hunger and malnutrition are still widespread in many parts of Africa and Asia. Global warming and dependence on agricultural products from multinational corporations are exacerbating the problem. A transnational project, which is being implemented in four countries on two continents, is dedicated to the rediscovery and rehabilitation of traditional local seeds. The aim is to improve the living conditions of people in the South.

16.10.23 | What means Agrobiodiversity? Warlier it is for the globale Food system increasingly important? And what is the effect it global warming? These and other questions are answered in the brochure «Agrobiodiversity on the plate» which was published on the occasion of World Food Day.

Alongside its work in the field to support farmers in preserving their traditional seed varieties, SWISSAID is also involved in the political arena, both internationally and in Switzerland. It is only by recognizing farmers’ rights to seeds and the value of the work of seed keepers that sustainable improvements can be achieved.

Chad has been devastated by the heaviest downpours in three decades, resulting in unimaginable suffering. The heavy rains have stripped the people of their homes, farmlands, and crops. Those afflicted with hunger are in dire need of new seeds to ensure the upcoming harvest is secure. SWISSAID has initiated an emergency relief initiative to distribute seeds and food packages.

Farmers’ seeds represent much more than the promise of a harvest. They ensure food security for billions of people around the globe and embody the identity of various regions worldwide. Farm families are fighting to preserve this diversity, thereby ensuring the survival of future generations, just like Maricela Gironza, a farmer in Colombia.

6.9.2022 | What is agroecology? If you regularly read our articles, you probably know it. But this concept of ecological agriculture is not known by everyone. That’s why the association Agroecology works! is organizing for the second time in October the Agroecology Days. Events, forums and meetings are intended to reach a broad public. So that the transformation of food systems will soon be a reality!

The CROPS4HD program takes place in four SWISSAID countries. In Niger, it revalorizes forgotten traditional crops that hold great nutritional potential for peasant families. Resistant and adapted to the climate, they are a real solution to the problems faced by Nigerien families.

Four questions for Simon Degelo: the responsible officer for food sovereignty and seed policy at SWISSAID talks about seed policies in Switzerland and the countries in the South, and the impact these restrictive rules have on smallholder farmers.

New genetic technologies are often presented as a solution to problems related to agriculture; global warming, pesticides, loss of biodiversity and soil fertility. According to SWISSAID, this is not the right approach. What is needed is a change towards sustainable and equitable agriculture, both in Switzerland and in the countries of the South.

Hunger, misery, hardship: a tragedy is brewing in Niger. 3.7 million people are threatened by acute hunger. Conflicts and climate change are to blame. The people are left with nothing. SWISSAID is helping quickly and unbureaucratically with food parcels and seeds.

15.11.2021 | Farm-saved seeds are diverse and well adapted to local conditions – they also form the basis for healthy yet affordable nutrition. Therefore, it fulfils all the requirements for making local food systems more independent and resilient. Especially in the context of the ongoing pandemic and the global climate crisis, this sows hope.

Dried out or washed away: seeds have a hard time in Niger’s nutrient-poor soils. With climate change, it is therefore becoming increasingly important that seeds are resistant to extreme weather conditions. Local farmers have also recognised this. Their knowledge of the use of traditional seeds is a key element on the road to long-term food security.

27.08.2020 | Two years ago, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants was created. Switzerland was very strongly committed to this process and successfully lobbied for its adoption. Despite this, a new study shows that its implementation is lacking both in Switzerland and abroad translated with DeepL

July 2020 | The Covid pandemic was a clear wake-up call: Only local agriculture can ensure healthy nutrition for the population. Farmer-owned seeds have a key role to play in this. SWISSAID organized a webinar on this topic in summer 2020 to enable an exchange and dissemination of knowledge between countries and experts.

Year after year, more and more local varieties of agricultural seeds are disappearing – including in Colombia. To reverse these losses, so-called seed guardians are working hard to produce high-quality seeds adapted to local conditions. They have developed a “participatory guarantee system” for this.

On March 4, a meeting was held in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, organized by the National Alliance “Semillas de Identidad“. This alliance was founded years ago by SWISSAID. The aim of the event was to exchange knowledge and experiences among producers of locally adapted seeds.

The 17 SDGs, also known as Agenda 2030, commit the international community to making its contribution to a fairer and less poor world. SWISSAID is working actively and energetically to achieve some of these goals.

For thousands of years, small farmers around the world have been the guardians of the knowledge and endogenous genetic heritage of local communities. Through cultivation, replication and propagation, they have created an incredible diversity of varieties. In Niger, over 60% of farmers select their own seeds – a system that ensures food security, health and […]

A new study makes it clear that the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 1991) does not bring any benefits to West Africa. -translated with DeepL

We, the signatory organisations, are calling upon European politicians and governments to stop the European Patent Office from promoting the sell-out of resources needed for our daily food, and effectively limit the monopolisation of seeds needed for conventional breeding and food production. Even though European patent law prohibits patents on plant varieties and «essentially biological» […]