30/04/2026
ZAMBIA LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AS SEED LAW BATTLE HEATS UP
By MENACC Staffer
The Zambia Alliance for Agroecology and Biodiversity (ZAAB) today launched a nationwide campaign to block a controversial seed law, warning that the proposed Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) Bill 2024 would “criminalise traditional farming” and hand control of Zambia’s food system to four multinational firms.
The launch of the _ campaign coincides with International Seed Day and World Intellectual Property Day. It will run until 8 May, mobilising farmers, civil society, faith leaders and citizens to reject what ZAAB calls “a fundamental threat to seed sovereignty.”
Government circulated the PBR Bill 2024 last year with support from international donors and the UPOV Secretariat in Geneva. The Bill would repeal Zambia’s current Plant Breeders Rights Act of 2007 and align the country with UPOV 1991 – a strict international framework for plant variety protection.
“This is not a technical update,” said Mutinta Nketani Maseko, ZAAB National Coordinator. “It would restrict farmers’ rights to save, share and sell their own seeds. It legalises biopiracy by letting corporations claim rights over varieties derived from our indigenous seeds without acknowledgement or benefit-sharing.”
ZAAB argues the shift would favour Bayer-Monsanto, Syngenta, Corteva and BASF – four companies that already control nearly 60% of the global seed market. The group warns the Bill would erode biodiversity and climate resilience by promoting genetically uniform seeds over locally adapted varieties.
“Seeds are reduced to a commodity,” Maseko said. “It severs cultural, ecological and intergenerational relationships and replaces them with contracts and courts.”
The campaign comes as Parliament prepares to receive both the PBR Bill and the Plant Varieties and Seeds Bill 2024. ZAAB notes that parliamentary approval of the Plant Variety and Seeds Act is a “disbursement-linked indicator” in the World Bank’s $300 million Zambia Growth Opportunities Program (ZAMGRO).
Civil society has raised concerns over transparency. “The Seed Control and Certification Institute has not presented the actual changes in the draft PBR Bill,” ZAAB said. “There’s been a lack of meaningful stakeholder engagement.”
ZAAB maintains that the current PBR Act of 2007 already complies with the WTO’s TRIPS Agreement and “adequately protects plant breeders’ rights while safeguarding farmers’ rights.”
The campaign aims to educate the public and policymakers, mobilise opposition to the Bill, and promote farmer-managed seed systems, community seed banks and participatory plant breeding.
ZAAB is urging citizens to share campaign posts with the hashtag, use its toolkit to lobby MPs, join community dialogues and seed fairs, and push for full implementation of Farmers’ Rights under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Zambia is not alone. ZAAB pointed to regional pushback against UPOV 1991:
Kenya: In December 2025, the High Court declared the Seed and Plant Varieties Act unconstitutional, ruling that criminalising seed saving violates farmers’ rights to life and food. UN experts called it a “milestone for peasants’ rights.”
Zimbabwe: The Smallholder Organic Farmers’ Forum raised alarm in 2025 over a draft PBR Bill that “goes beyond UPOV 91 demands,” with a proposed EU Economic Partnership Agreement requiring UPOV membership.
West Africa: A 2025 study found UPOV 91 brings “no benefits” to the OAPI region, only costs and missed opportunities.
Nigeria: Ecological think tanks have urged government to withdraw from UPOV 1991, calling it a “serious threat” to the food system.
“We cannot afford to lose this fight,” Maseko said. “Our seeds, our rights, and our lives depend on it.”
ZAAB will coordinate with regional and international allies during the campaign period to amplify its message. Parliament is expected to debate the PBR Bill in the coming weeks.
Picture courtesy: ZAAB
