By Samuel Nabwiiso
Small Scale Farmers in Uganda under their umbrella’s movement the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) - Uganda Chapter are calling upon Government to review some of the Agricultural Regulations that are not friendly with the rights of Small-Scale farmers.
The regulation that farmers want
to be amended is the plant Variety and Protection Act which farmers say it only
favour plant bleeders and Seed Companies and this has deprived their rights as
Small Scale farmers who are the majority producers of foundation seeds in the
Country.
farmers argue that the current
Law does not allow them to register their indigenous Seeds varieties with the
Ministry of Agriculture because majority cannot meet the Conditions as their
prescribed in the Law.
"As Ugandan farmers we joined the rest of the World to commemorate the
World Food Day/Week on the 16th/October 2022,
But Small scale farmers observed with concern that the National seed
regulations i.e. the Plant Variety Protection Act among others regulations in
the Country are generally focusing only on the so-called private sector seed
companies of which their capacity to meet the National seeds demand is still lower formal sector
only produces 20% of the Nation’s seed's
on an annual basis. This legal framework does not provide policy support for
the production and distribution Of Agricultural inputs by small-scale farmers
,yet the National Seed Policy (2018) recognizes that the informal seed system
is strategic in conserving the biodiversity and meets 80 percent of the
Agricultural inputs requirements in Uganda" Said Ronald Bagaga the Head of
Policy and Research at ESAFF-Uganda in
an Exclusive Interview with the Environment News Uganda.
 |
| Hakim Baliraine the Chairperson of ESAFF -Uganda explaining to the prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja about their call on Regulation amendments |
He said that without protecting Small Scale farmer's to own their Indigenous seeds rights this may expose the Country to food Insecurity because many local farmers cannot afford to buy seeds produced by the private Sector and this may hinder the Country not to achieve this year's World food Day theme which was celebrated under the theme ‘Leave NO ONE behind.”
In 2014, Uganda passed the Plant
Variety Protection Act ("the Act") with the aim of providing for the
promotion of development of new plant varieties and their protection as a means
of enhancing breeder's innovations and rewards through granting plant breeders’
rights.
Why Government is not recognizing
seeds produced by Small Scale Farmer’s? According to the policy officer, Government
argues that that these traditional and unimproved farming Agricultural farming
inputs varieties produced by the Small-Scale farmers may not meet the standard
regulations as their prescribed in the Law because of their genetic and
phenotypic diversity characteristics that can make them more resilient to local
Agro-ecological conditions.
To ensure that Government
recognizes indigenous Seed’s, Bagaga said that ESAFF-Uganda, a farming Movement
of Small-Scale farmers they have Launched campaign which aimed at advocating
for the review of the Plant Variety protection ACT by Government.
"Our request is that
Government should repeal some of the regulations that do not favour Small Scale
farmers to Own farming inputs farming rights" He requested.
ESAFF - Uganda a farmer led based
organization is supporting over 30000 Small Scale farmers in Uganda and it
operates in over 50 Districts across the Country.
When asked to comment on the
recent Kenya's decision to lift the ban on the Cultivation and Importations of genetically
modified organism Commonly known as GMO,Bagaga said its high time for Uganda to
pass the Biotechnology Bill this will protect
Small Scale Farmer's in Uganda
and the Country at large from the negative Consequence's that may arise after
the Consumption of GMO products since
Kenya shares Border with Uganda.
"This year’s world Food was Celebrated at a time when one of the
East African Community Member state,
Kenya rifting the ban on the cultivation of GMO crops and its importation. As
Ugandan farmers,
Kenya whom Uganda share a common
boarder and GMO confined field trials on 20 crops of rice, corn, banana,
cotton, soybean, potato and sweet potato among others, the decision may not be
good to Small Scale farmers in the region because of its economic
complications to the ordinary farmers in the East African Community" Bagaga the
Policy and Research Officer at ESAFF
Uganda said.
 |
| ESAFF Chairpeson showing the pPrime Minister Some of the products Small Scale Famers produces during the World Food Day at Namulonge |
Currently most Countries in in the region are experiencing rising food prices this has led to some Scientists to advocates for the adoption of Biotechnology which they say it can save the World from food Insecurity since the products produced through Biotechnology can withstand Climatic Change conditions, however most farmers especially the Small Scale one's who contributes about 73% of the farming communities ,say that introducing GMO it may infringe on farmers rights on access to seeds because GMO seeds involves ownership Rights and also has negative impact on the Biodiversity which may hinders some Countries like Uganda not to attain Sustainable Development Goals.
"The decision is not vital
because of its impacts on the Small Scale farmer's despite the 2022 World Food
Day, it is marked against the COVID-19 pandemic, rising food prices and
desperation of small scale farmers towards their seed variety rights through
registration, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and food and
nutrition insecurity. These factors, alongside the increasing effects of
climate change pose many challenges to small scale farmers to sustain their
livelihoods and feed the world “He added.
According to recent UN published
report on global food security and nutrition 2022, found that the world is off
track and 8% of the population could be facing hunger by 2030, the date
initially set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve one of its
primary targets of zero hunger World.
“We need to urgently transform
our agri-food systems to be more efficient, more resilient, more inclusive and
more sustainable. “He said in the report.
In Uganda, Crop genetics
diversity continues to be maintained by small-scale farmers’ fields in the form
of farmer varieties yet a few have not been included in the National Variety
Lists, which is a precondition for propagation material of these varieties to
be produced on large scale.
Hakim Baliraine the Chairperson
of ESAFF, -Uganda told Environment News Uganda that they have tried to have
dialogue with Government which led to the development of some recommendation
that are friendly to Small Scale Farmers but Government has not yet implemented
them.
"As farmers Movement's we
have tried to work with Government and other development organization such as
Oxfam ,NARO ,Biovesity International to develop roadmap for registration of
local seeds however the framework has not been implemented by Government we
appeal to Government to respect the recommendations that were Agreed on during
the meeting between farmers and Government Agencies under Ministry of
Agriculture" He said.
According to him, Farmers organization had an engagement with Government Agencies on
Crop inputs Varieties registration where
a roadmap for registration of farmers’ varieties in Uganda was developed to address
the gaps in the current seed laws and unanimous action agreed upon to push for
Cabinet approval of a draft but this has not been implemented by Government.
"Moving forward, the
Government through the National Seed Certification Services under MAAIF
instituted a committee to advance the processes for the development of guidelines
on farmers’ variety registration and establishing mechanisms for registration
at both local and national levels. We are concerned that since its inception,
the committee has never operated due to financial constraints as farmers we
call on Government to source for financial resources to fund the
operationalizations of the Committee.
Farmers believe that recognizing their Rights to own seeds through variety registration will increase
the production of farmer seeds varieties, hence
increasing farmer-based seeds
enterprises, income generation from seeds sales, quality seeds, which may led to
increased food production in the Country
and hence improving Nutrition in Uganda and in the region at large and
Africa as Continent which is food
insecure.
Farmers believe that Protecting
Farmers' rights on seed's Will also reduce farmers’ dependence on patented
seeds and expensive fertilizers as well as a reduction on the risks to
biodiversity. As Small-Scale farmers we ask Government to create conducive
Environment to Small Scale farmers to operate.
As way forward farmers ate a urging Government
to Develop guidelines for the registration of Small Scale farmers produced
variety seeds and popularize the guidelines among small-scale farmers.
Lastly the Small-Scale Farmers
are also asking
Government to strength small
scale farmers groups that are actively conserving biodiversity in Uganda. The
famers say, Government should develop guidelines for building stronger linkages
between small-scale farmers, community seed banks and the national gene bank.
However, in telephone Interview
with the minister of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries Frank Tumwebaze
said that Small Scale farmers should work with other stake holders in the
Agriculture Sector if their concerns ate to be realized.
