Latest Resources
23 April 2019
South Africa’s new Plant Breeders’ Rights Act and its effect on farmers’ rights and farmer manage...
In this updated briefing, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) warns that the Plant Breeder’s Rights Act (PBR) 2018 will impact negatively on small-scale farmers and calls for exemptions in the Regulations to protect farmers’ rights. The PBR, together with the new Plant Improvement Act (PIA) 2018, was approved by Parliament last October and has […]
23 April 2019
South Africa’s new seed law and its impacts on farmer seed systems and agricultural biodiversity
In this updated briefing, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) reflects on how the new Plant Improvement Act (PIA) 2018 will further undermine the rights of small-scale farmers while expanding the rights of the corporate agricultural sector, further entrenching its domination. The PIA, together with the new Plant Breeder’s Rights Act (PBR) 2018, was approved […]
23 April 2019
South Africa’s new seed and PVP Acts undermine farmers’ rights and entrench corporate capture, co...
Press Release from the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) 23 April 2019, Johannesburg, South Africa The highly problematic new Plant Improvement Act 2018 (PIA) and Plant Breeder’s Rights Act 2018 (PBR), approved by Parliament last year, have been signed into law this March by the President, replacing the 1976 versions. Regulations are currently being drafted […]
17 October 2018
UPOV 1991 and the ITPGRFA: Key issues for farmer managed seed systems in South Africa
The South African government has called upon stakeholders to submit comments and attend stakeholder meetings on the 23rd and 24th October 2018, on the implications of South Africa acceding to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 1991) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture […]
12 October 2018
WFD Celebrations honouring Seed Diversity and Custodians in the Eastern Cape
Press Release: World Food Day Celebration in the Eastern cape: Phansi GMO Maize Phambili Agrocology! 15th October 2018 On World Food Day, 16th October 2018, the African Centre for Biodiversity is partnering with Zingisa, Ntinga Ntaba ka Ndoda, Ilizwi Lamafama, Mxumbu Youth Cooperative, Calabash Trust and Khanyisa to celebrate and honour local seed diversity, and […]
10 September 2018
Report from SADC regional farmer speak out on farm input subsidy programmes
Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) and African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) jointly hosted a meeting of farmers and civil society organisations (CSOs) in August 2018 to share views and experiences on farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) and public sector support for agroecology in the region. About 140 participants from Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, […]
13 August 2018
Farm input subsidy programme (FISP) info pamphlet
This pamphlet offers a quick background on the FISPs and the key issues and concerns. It explains what FISPs are, their aims, why the FISPs are failing to meet their objectives, how they promote small-scale farmer dependency, and ways of transitioning out of FISPs towards more appropriate forms of smallholder farmer support. African Centre for […]
6 July 2018
Smallholder Farmer Autonomy Over Seed Production
At the National Seed Dialogue and Celebration, hosted by the African Centre for Biodiversity at Constitution Hill in December 2017, participants shared their experiences and discussed options and priorities. Smallholder Farmer Autonomy Over Seed Production is the final video in a series of six from the ACB hosted event. Smallholder farmers feed the world, providing […]
22 June 2018
Value of Household and Community Seed Banks
In South Africa, different initiatives are under way to build farmer-based seed bank networks both in the public sector and by civil society. At the National Seed Dialogue and Celebration, hosted by the African Centre for Biodiversity at Constitution Hill in December 2017, participants shared their experiences and discussed options and priorities. This is the […]
18 May 2018
Spiritual and Cultural Value of Seed in South Africa
Spiritual and Cultural Value of Seed in South Africa is the second video in a six part series covering discussions from the National Seed Dialogue and Celebration, an event hosted by ACB. The seed, like the big bang, or evolution, or the atom … bears the mystifying tale of a beginning. We fill our bellies […]