This publication aims to provide an overview of relevant seed legislation and policies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, analyse the ways in which they may impede or facilitate the strengthening of peasant seeds systems, and provide examples and recommendations for how civil society organisations and peasant groups can work to promote the right to seed. I
In order to do so, it will proceed as follows: first, an overview and analysis of international agreements and national level legislation concerning the production, saving, use, exchange and distribution of seeds; second, an exploration of practical and policy-based initiatives that promote peasant rights to seed, with case studies from the five featured countries; and finally, a set of political demands containing actions that would facilitate the functioning of healthy peasant seed systems. Read the full publication in the sidebar.
This publication was developed as part of the Peasant Agroecology in Eastern Europe (PACE) project, which, in 2019, saw European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) bring together Eastern European and Central Asian peasant organisations in order to strengthen agroecology and peasant seed systems through cross-regional exchanges.
Peasant organisations Eco Ruralis (Romania), Elkana (Georgia), ADI (Kyrgyzstan), NGO Zher Ana Astana (Kazakhstan), Zan va Zamin (Tajikistan) and Grandina Moldovei (Republic of Moldova) shared diverse experiences and expertise in agroecological trainings, building movements, and advocacy throughout the process in collaboration with Cultivate! and ETC group.
This collaboration brought together peasant organisations to learn from and inspire one another and thereby strengthen peasant agroecology and peasant seed networks in the Eastern European and Central Asian region by linking organisations working on those issues to existing networks, by networking between initiatives and by facilitating horizontal peasant-to-peasant learning processes with a special focus on the inclusion of women. From this collaboration a strong, resilient and structured network has been emerged in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which is capable of advocating for agroecology and peasant seeds in national, regional and international policy making arenas.