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International day of Peasants’ Struggles 17 April 2022 – UN expert applauds vital rol...

GENEVA (14 April 2022) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, draws attention to the struggles of peasants and others which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic alongside the rise of extrajudicial violence against peasants and armed conflicts around the world. On the International Day of Peasants’ Struggles, he […]

25th Meeting, 49th Regular Session of Human Rights Council – Presentation of the Special Rapporte...

“The type of seed system you decide to support will determine your ability to tackle hunger, famine and nutrition.” In his report and presentation at the 49th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), on 14 March, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Michael Fakhri, outlined two types of seed […]

Coalition demands a ban of Bt Cowpea in Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries

A coalition of non-governmental organisations, farmer groups and research experts from various African countries call on the Nigerian government to revoke the permits granted by Nigeria’s National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) to the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, for the commercial release of genetically modified (Bt) Cowpea (PBR-Cowpea). This call was made yesterday in […]

African Social movements rise up against the UNFSS and the African Union’s blueprint for corporat...

On 16 September, African social movements came together to discuss the upcoming United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which takes place on the 23 September. On this day, the African Union (AU) will be presenting an African “common position”. As social movements in Africa we reject both the UNFSS and the AU’s position, which allegedly […]

Integrate biodiversity targets from local to global levels

On 13 August 2021, the journal Science published an article titled, Integrate biodiversity targets from local to global levels, that included ACB executive director Mariam Mayet and research and advocacy officers Linzi Lewis and Andrew Bennie as co-authors. We are honoured to be part of this incredible team of African scientists, conservationists, and community leaders […]

Africa responds to the UNFSS

Let’s reclaim our food sovereignty and transform the industrial food system! African organisations participating in the global response to the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), including the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), coordinated an online session, as part of the three days of global counter-mobilisation, which took place during the UNFSS pre-summit, from 25 to […]

Seed is power – Reclaiming African Seed Sovereignty: Africans speak out against corporate hegemon...

In rejection of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which held its pre-summit this week, civil society, farmers groups and social movements came together for a global counter-mobilisation that spanned four days, with 15 online sessions. One of the webinars, titled Seed is power: Reclaiming African Seed Sovereignty, featured a presentation: Africans speak out […]

SAN Petition to Stop ReconAfrica’s Drilling operations in the Okavango

Indigenous Peoples and Africans are under threat from Recon Africa and Big Oil and Gas Development Permits have been issued to prospect, drill and ultimately extract oil and gas over 8.75 million acres of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia and Botswana extending to the south eastern banks of the Okavango River and Okavango Delta. The […]

Struggle for recognition of traditional land, territories and seed in Brazil

(Por favor, clique aqui para Português) In recent weeks, a wave of solidarity from many parts of Brazil and from several countries around the world has reached southern Minas Gerais, in support of the resistance of the 450 farming families, who have organised and lived at camp “Quilombo Campo Grande” over the past 22 years. […]

Registration of farmers’ varieties in SADC

Key Issues emerging from the dialogue between CSOs and SADC, African governments August 2020 The registration of farmer varieties is a controversial issue. On the one hand, it is argued that registration facilitates accessible opportunities and benefits for local farmers, such as increasing visibility of varieties, promotion and protection of indigenous knowledge, and opportunities for […]