Seeds of Sovereignty: Community Conservation in the ECA Region
“Seeds are not just the source of food – they are the source of our rights, our resilience, and our future.”
This powerful reflection captured the spirit of the 6th Nyéléni Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Thematic Webinar, which gathered a rich mix of community practitioners, legal experts, academics, and institutional voices to discuss community seed banks and on-farm conservation in the region. As food systems face increasing threats from industrialization, climate change, and the erosion of traditional knowledge, this session reaffirmed the vital role of community-led seed work as the foundation of agrobiodiversity and food sovereignty.
What’s at Stake: Agrobiodiversity and Resilient Food Systems
Prof. Dr. Gordana Đurić (Foundation ALICA, Bosnia and Herzegovina) opened the session with a grounding in the science of genetic resource conservation—explaining the distinctions between in-situ, ex-situ, and on-farm conservation. She emphasized that on-farm conservation, a specific form of in-situ conservation, is essential for cultivated crops, allowing them to evolve and adapt in farmers' fields.
“In contrast to government-run protected areas or seed vaults,” she explained, “on-farm conservation is dynamic. It lives in farmers’ hands, evolving as they cultivate, select, and exchange seeds adapted to their environments.”
Community Challenges: Managing Diversity and Isolation
Dr. Ivana Radović (Frame of Life, Serbia) shared insights into the technical and practical realities of managing traditional seed varieties at the community level.
“When a community works with hundreds of varieties, simply growing them isn’t enough,” she said. “True seed conservation means intentional isolation, identification, and characterization. It’s not a by-product of farming—it’s a focused mission.”
She highlighted that many small initiatives conflate food production with seed work, but preserving the integrity of traditional seeds requires specific protocols and dedication. Despite limited resources, communities across the ECA region continue to uphold this crucial work—often at the grassroots, household level.
Legal Frameworks: Farmers’ Rights at the Core
Turning to the legal landscape, Anatolie Albin (Lawyer, Moldova) offered a powerful reminder that seeds are not only biological but also legal and cultural resources.
“Seeds are a matter of rights,” he stated. “Yet, many local markets in our region offer limited diversity because legal systems often prioritize corporate seed rights over community stewardship.”
Anatolie underlined the challenges posed by the UPOV 1991 regime, which many ECA countries have ratified, thereby limiting farmers’ rights to save, exchange, and improve their own seeds. He called for regional legal frameworks that safeguard traditional knowledge and peasant rights, especially in contexts where formal seed systems have collapsed or become inaccessible.
A Regional Perspective: Rebuilding What Was Lost
Anna Kanshieva (FAO REU) added an institutional lens, outlining efforts to support seed systems in post-Soviet and post-conflict regions like the Balkans, Caucasus, and Central Asia.
“In many of our countries, centralized seed collections collapsed,” she explained, “leaving communities vulnerable and seed security at risk.”
Anna emphasized the importance of building regional knowledge networks, technical collaboration, and policy support to reclaim seed sovereignty, particularly where formal systems no longer function.
A Grassroots Movement: Empowerment through Education
Aida Jamangulova (NGO, Kyrgyzstan) concluded with an inspiring update on the E-School for Paralegals on Farmers’ Seed Rights, a regional capacity-building initiative spanning 12 countries and uniting 23 participants.
“This school is not only about Kyrgyzstan,” Aida noted, “but about forming a regional alliance. We are creating a team of allies who will defend farmers' rights to seeds and represent our region on the global stage.”
She highlighted the historic lack of Central Asian participation in global seed dialogues, stressing that building capacity and confidence at the community level is the first step toward changing that.
Seeds for the Future
As participants reflected on the session, one thing was clear: Community seed banks and on-farm conservation are not just technical solutions—they are political, legal, and cultural acts of resistance.
The 6th Nyéléni ECA Thematic Webinar served as both a knowledge-sharing space and a call to action—urging everyone from seed savers to policymakers to protect the seeds that protect us all.
Watch the full recording on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/RRu3oz3nJh4
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