HOMEF urges FG to protect indigenous seeds, farmers’ rights ahead
HOMEF called on the federal government to protect indigenous seeds and farmers’ rights, warning that industrial agricultural practices and restrictive seed policies threaten food sovereignty, biodiversity and nutrition. The appeal was made on Friday to mark World Food Day (observed 16 October). In a statement to PREMIUM TIMES, HOMEF’s Media and Communications Manager Kome Odhomor said food security requires more than raising output; it needs policies that safeguard local seed varieties, promote ecological farming and give farming communities control over what they grow and how they produce food.
HOMEF’s executive director Nnimmo Bassey noted Nigeria’s reliance on monoculture and cash‑crop production weakens supply chains, degrades soil health and reduces farmers’ control. He stressed that indigenous seeds preserve genetic diversity vital for drought resistance, pest management and improved nutrition, urging a shift from "yield at any cost" to agroecology.
Joyce Brown, HOMEF’s Director of Programmes, said hunger in resource‑rich African countries reflects political and economic decisions that treat food as a commodity rather than a human right. She criticised Nigeria’s Plant Variety Protection Act, 2021 for limiting farmers’ ability to save and reuse seeds, endangering vulnerable communities.
Mariann Bassey‑Olsson of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria warned that losing control of local seeds increases dependence on foreign corporations and undermines farmers’ ability to adapt to climate change. HOMEF urged Nigerians to consider the origins and nutritional quality of their food and called for greater investment in agroecology, better access to tools and knowledge for smallholders, and support for diverse local food systems that can withstand climate shocks while protecting biodiversity.