SEARICE highlights farmers’ seed systems as the foundation of agrobiodiversity conservation at CBD COP17
YEREVAN, Armenia—SEARICE Executive Director Normita Ignacio underscored the importance of recognizing and protecting farmers’ seed systems in advancing agrobiodiversity conservation, food security, and equitable Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) during a side event, Farmer-Led ABS for Ancient Staple Food Landraces, hosted by the Farmers’ Seed Network (FSN) and Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES) during the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 17) on Oct 20, 2026.
In her presentation, Farmer Seed Systems and Farmer-led ABS in Southeast Asia, Ignacio highlighted that farmers’ own saved seeds account for approximately 80–90% of planting material used in the region. Through seed selection, breeding, saving, and exchange, farmers maintain crop diversity according to their needs. preferences and local growing conditions.
Ignacio discussed how community seed banks help conserve locally important crop varieties while ensuring that farmers have access to seeds. Traditional practices, such as seed loans in which farmers return twice the amount borrowed after a successful harvest, illustrate how communities facilitate seed access and share benefits through collective, non-monetary arrangements that contribute to long-term food security.
A key focus of the presentation was the community seed registry (CSR). SEARICE facilitated the establishment of CSRs in the Philippines as a defensive mechanism against the misappropriation of farmers’ seeds and monopolistic claims of ownership. Through a participatory process, farmers document the crop varieties important to their communities, including their characteristics, growing requirements, and seasonal adaptability. SEARICE also supports communities in advocating for local government resolutions or ordinances that recognize their collective rights to these seeds.
Ignacio stressed that recognizing farmers’ rights to seeds means recognizing the entire system through which farmers develop, produce, exchange, and sell seeds. These interconnected practices sustain seed diversity across generations and must be safeguarded amid intellectual property regimes that can raise concerns over exclusive claims to plant genetic resources.
For SEARICE, genuine ABS must recognize the communities that sustain seed diversity, protect farmers’ continued access to diverse seeds, and ensure that benefits are shared with those who conserve and manage them. Community protocols, including CSRs, offer one way to support the recognition of farmers’ collective rights and strengthen community stewardship of agrobiodiversity for present and future generations.
Photo credits: Farmers’ Seed Network (FSN)
