Latest Resources
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 […]
31 May 2018
Participatory Plant Breeding and Smallholder Farmers
The National Seed Dialogue and Celebration was hosted by the African Centre for Biodiversity at Constitution Hill in December 2017. The third video in this series, Participatory Plant Breeding and Smallholder Farmers looked at issues of smallholder farmers & seed breeding/crop improvement and the potential roles of smallholder farmers in these processes were discussed. Since […]
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 […]
7 May 2018
Politics of seed in South Africa
Hosted by the African Centre for Biodiversity at Constitution Hill in December 2017, the National Seed Dialogue and Celebration honoured the role of smallholder farmers in maintaining and nurturing the diversity of seed in South Africa and regionally, who are being displaced and overridden by a growing private seed sector. The event included thought-provoking dialogues […]
14 July 2017
Call to action: make your submissions to oppose corporate seed Bills and save our seeds
The Plant Breeders’ Rights and Plant Improvement Bills restrict the saving, trading, exchanging, and sale of seed. This can have massive ramifications on seed and food sovereignty, agricultural biodiversity, access to diverse seed, and increasing the disparities and inequalities in South African agriculture, food and nutrition. We urgently need to protect and preserve our food […]
21 June 2017
Food Systems of the Future Public Talk
The ACB in partnership with Wits Inala Forum had the honour of hosting Pat Mooney, Donna Andrews, John Nzira and Stephen Greenberg at a public talk at Wits University on the 12th of May 2017, in the light of the three mega mergers taking place. The title of the talk was “Food Systems of the […]
18 May 2017
FISPs Factsheets: Transitioning out of FISPs
The final factsheet in this series looks at how FISPs should be phased out and replaced with new approaches with long term benefits. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | Sesotho | Setswana | Shona | Siswati | Swahili | Xhosa To read and download all the factsheets in this series, click here.
18 May 2017
FISPs Factsheets: FISPs promote small-scale farmer dependency
The sixth factsheet in this series looks at how the FISPs have resulted in high levels of farmer dependency across Southern Africa. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | Sesotho | Setswana | Shona | Siswati | Swahili | Xhosa For the final factsheet in this series, click here.
18 May 2017
FISPs Factsheets: FISPs and political patronage
The fifth factsheet in this series looks at how these Farm Input Subsidy Programmes are being used to gain political patronage. Chichewa | English | Nyanja | Portuguese | Sesotho | Setswana | Shona | Siswati | Swahili | Xhosa For the next factsheet in the series, click here.
18 May 2017
FISPs Factsheets: The misuse of public funds
Farm input subsidy programmes (FISPs) play a central role in financing and delivering Green Revolution technologies to small-scale farmers in Africa. ACB developed these easy to read factsheets that explain what farm input subsidy programs are and how they operate. The fourth factsheet in the series looks at on the downfalls of the programmes: the […]