Kenyans fight for their right to seed sovereignty

DW (English)

Farmers groups in Kenya are technically breaking the law by sharing local seeds, which they say are better adapted to local conditions than imported hybrid seeds.

Transcript

00:00These maize seeds are precious.

00:02In the town of Marigat, women are using a traditional method

00:06to protect them from insects and mold.

00:09It involves mixing them with wood ash.

00:17There are many smallholder farmers here in Western Kenya,

00:20and seed quality can mean make or break.

00:22They're doing what they can to preserve old types of maize.

00:30We had completely lost the yellow and red maize varieties from this area.

00:35When we started this women's group,

00:37we were very surprised to find out these varieties did still exist elsewhere.

00:45Now when other farmers visit us, they are surprised to see these old varieties.

00:53The Women's Initiative has even constructed a special building to store them.

00:58They own small private seed bank.

01:01The seeds are from about 20 different plants varieties

01:04that are well suited to the harsh local conditions like aridity.

01:08Smallholders can obtain the seeds from the seed bank,

01:11so long as they give a return on the investment.

01:17If they need one kilo, we can give that amount to them,

01:19and we write it down in the register.

01:21When they return it, they have to bring double the amount they took.

01:31But this practice, swapping and sharing uncertified seeds,

01:34is actually against the law in Kenya.

01:36However, it's often tolerated.

01:41Visiting the initiative today is Daniel Wanjama.

01:44He is the co-founder of an organization dedicated to preserving local crop varieties,

01:49and supporting smallholders' battle for seed sovereignty.

01:53I decided to start the Seed Savers Network to introduce varieties that are not,

02:00of course, not actually to introduce,

02:03but to promote varieties, indigenous varieties,

02:06because they are not dependent on agrochemicals.

02:11They don't need all the spraying that must happen for food to be produced

02:16when people are using hybrid seeds and other, what they call, new varieties.

02:23Which is the case with most commercial hybrid seeds,

02:26made by crossing two plants to combine their best traits.

02:29The women of Marikad are not alone in their fight for traditional seeds.

02:37More than 115 communities are active in the Seed Savers Network.

02:43Its headquarters in Gilgil, about 120 kilometers north of Nairobi,

02:47houses a treasuredrove of locally adapted seeds such as maize, beans and millet.

02:52These are also more environmentally friendly.

03:01They don't need fertilizer. They are adapted to the soil, adapted to the climate,

03:07and they are also diverse in a way that they are able to survive shocks.

03:12Small-scale farmers have no way of manipulating the environment,

03:16unlike large-scale farmers who can install large irrigation systems.

03:23Kenya produces about 3.8 million metric tons of maize per year.

03:28About 95 percent is grown from hybrid seed, but demand still outstrips supply.

03:34The government's solution is to increase the production of hybrid maize in Kenya

03:39to reduce reliance on imports and improve food security.

03:47The Kenyan government's agricultural agency and its affiliated research bodies

03:51are continuing efforts to develop new hybrid seed varieties intended to be higher yield.

03:59When you look at the mathematics, the arithmetic aspect of the productivity,

04:06use of hybrid is far much better. Not that the other conventional seed are bad,

04:10but we need to see the context. If we have to feed the country and be food secure,

04:17then we need to be able to plant crops that give high productivity, especially within the smaller piece of land.

04:28But in recent years, government figures show that hybrid corn harvests are vulnerable to climate change,

04:34with drought and changes in rainfall patterns affecting production.

04:38Smallholder Selina Chespat has made up her own mind. She compared the growth of land-raised seeds,

04:45the ones which have naturally adapted to the local environment, with hybrid ones.

04:50I planted both varieties, the hybrid and the land-raised in the dry and the rainy season.

05:01The hybrid was affected by pests and the hot weather. I had to keep on spraying pesticides,

05:07but the land-raised performed better and I was able to harvest. The land-raised was affected by the dry season too,

05:14but when it rained, they just recovered. With the hybrid variety, I didn't even harvest a single cob,

05:20and so I think the locally adapted seeds are better.

05:26And this is why the women in Marigat want to see their right to use seed banks legally recognised.

05:31The smallholders are now challenging the Seeds and Plant Varieties Act in the country's highest court.

05:37Together with the Seed Savers Network, they want to fight for their more independent and sustainable model of agriculture.

Category

Transcript

Recommended