Organizations from 7 countries of West Africa, members of the ROPPA (Réseau des organisations paysannes et de producteurs de l’Afrique de l’Ouest), met for a 3-days gathering to push for regulations that protect peasant seeds from companies that extract genetic material for commercial purpose.
In this audio doc, Ibrahima Coulibaly (CNOP Mali / ROPPA) explains (in French) the challenge faced in West African countries to defend farmers’ rights to seeds -which is a condition for food security and sovereignty. Farmers’ rights to seed include that no one can collect any seed without the prior consent of the local communities. This right is recognized at international level by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture(FAO, 2004) and the The Convention on Biological Diveristy (UNCBD – 1992) and specifically the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (2014).
