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Fix the Food System

CAFOD's food campaign is urging the UK government to protect the right of farmers around the world to use their seeds.

Seeds are life. They are the very foundation for farmers to produce the food that feeds us all. 

For generations, small-scale farmers have freely swapped and shared a wide variety of seeds to produce food and maintain biodiversity. More recently, farmers have also developed seeds that ensure crops are resilient to climate change. However, their right to choose what seeds they use is increasingly under threat as new laws are introduced across the world that limit what small farmers can do with their seeds.

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It’s time for the World Bank to do better

Last year over 70,000 people in 763 parishes stood in solidarity with Salina, a small farmer from Bangladesh who is calling on the World Bank to protect farmers’ rights to freely access their own seeds.

Right now, the World Bank is not doing enough to support small farmers like her. On the contrary,  it has been pushing for laws that are beneficial for big business selling commercial seeds at the price of reducing or even criminalising small farmers’ rights to freely access them.

See our birthday message to the World Bank

Latest stories about our campaign

The impact of Kenyan seed laws on women
29
Sep
2024

The impact of Kenyan seed laws on women

CAFOD and our partner BIBA-Kenya recently conducted research into how Kenya’s 2012 seed law has impacted women, who constitute up to 80% of the country’s agricultural labour force.

Five reasons why seed sovereignty matters
03
Apr
2023

Five reasons why seed sovereignty matters

Seed sovereignty is the right of farmers to save, use, exchange and sell their own seeds. It means farmers can choose the seeds they plant, what to grow and how to farm.

Our seeds need protecting

Small farmers’ seed rights are under threat .

These laws, which are being brought in with the support of global financial institutions such as the World Bank, overwhelmingly favour large agri-businesses. Instead of being able to choose their own seeds, small farmers must purchase commercial seeds – something that is good for big business profits but not so good for the farmers who grow the majority of the world’s food.

It’s clear that our current global food system is in crisis, and at the heart of this crisis is a struggle over control of the world’s seeds. Protecting the freedom of farmers to choose seeds is a right we must all stand up for if we are to tackle global hunger while responding to the cry of the earth and the poor.

Is there an alternative?  

Yes! Seed sovereignty is the right for farmers to save, use, exchange and sell their own seeds. It is about farmers having the power to choose the seeds they plant, rather than that power belonging to corporations or international institutions. 

Small farmers like Salina are using seeds banks to let them choose what crops are most appropriate for them. Her methods have allowed her to grow healthier, more sustainable food that provides for her family and goes for a higher price at her local market. 

This organic system can flourish on a far grander scale, but it needs the UK government to use its voice at the World Bank to create a more sustainable and supportive environment for farmers that trusts their knowledge and empowers them.