Latest Resources
3 November 2014
Railroading African governments into adopting ARIPO PVP Protocol based on UPOV 1991: AFSA appeals...
AFSA attended a Regional Workshop on the ARIPO PVP Protocol, 29-31 October 2014, in Harare Zimbabwe, where numerous technical and administrative flaws continue to characterise the process. In particular, member states were forced into accepting a recommendation, disguised as if crafted by them, mandating ARIPO to urgently organise and call for the Diplomatic Conference for […]
8 October 2014
Acquisition of Africa’s SeedCo by Monsanto, Groupe Limagrain: Neo-colonial occupation of Af...
The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is deeply concerned about the recent acquisitions by multi-national seed companies of large parts of SeedCo, one of Africa’s largest home-grown seed companies. Attracting foreign investment from the world?s largest seed companies, most of who got to their current dominant positions by devouring national seed companies and […]
6 October 2014
Resources transferred from small-scale farmers to multinational agribusinesses in Malawi’s ...
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has today released its research report based on field work conducted in Malawi, titled “Running to stand still: Small-scale farmers and the Green Revolution in Malawi.” The research, conducted by the ACB in collaboration with the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi (NASFAM), Kusamala Institute of Agriculture and Ecology […]
2 July 2014
Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa: Media briefing – AFSA appeals to ARIPO, AU and UNE...
The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), a Pan African platform comprising civil society networks and farmer organisations working towards food sovereignty in Africa, has today lodged an urgent appeal to the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO), African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to urgently revise the draft ARIPO […]
3 April 2014
AFSA strongly condemns sleight of hand moves by ARIPO to join UPOV 1991, bypass national laws and...
The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) [1] strongly condemns the move by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) to join UPOV 1991, which will effectively outlaw the centuries-old African farmers’ practice of freely using, exchanging and selling seeds/propagating material. These practices underpin 90% of the agricultural system within the ARIPO region. [2] […]
12 July 2013
Do African Farmers Need CAADP?
The Peoples’ Dialogue and the Trust for Community Outreach and Education (TCOE) have written a short booklet on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the African Union’s framework for agricultural development for Africa, titled “Do African Farmers Need CAADP?” The objective is to summarise and simplify information on CAADP so as to, collectively, create […]
19 November 2012
ARIPO’s PVP law undermines Farmers’ Rights & Food Security in Africa
The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) has proposed a draft regional harmonized policy and legal framework on Plant Variety Protection (PVP), based on the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Convention of 1991. The draft legal framework, if adopted, will have significant adverse consequences for small-scale farmers that dominate […]
28 May 2012
Smallholder farmers and consumers to pay the price for corporate seed merger
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) learned today that US multi-national seed company Pioneer Hi-Bred has been granted permission by the Competition Appeal Court, to acquire the nation’s last major independent seed company, Pannar seed. The ACB was an intervening party, opposing the merger in the public interest. In granting the merger, the court has […]
14 October 2011
ACB applauds tribunal decision to prohibit Pioneer Hi Bred and Pannar seed merger
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) applauds today’s decision of the Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) to prohibit the seed merger between multinational seed company Pioneer Hi Bred, and South Africa’s largest seed company, Pannar Seed. During December 2010, the Competition Commission prohibited the merger and the merging parties referred the Commission’s decision to the Tribunal for […]
7 September 2011
Global grain giant Bunge, to enter SA market!
The Competition Commission has on 2nd September 2011, approved, with conditions, a joint venture between the multinational grain trader Bunge, and South African grain storage and trading company, Senwes. In terms of the joint venture, a separate legal entity, Bunge Senwes Proprietary Ltd, has been formed, with each party controlling 50%. According to Mariam Mayet […]