“Seeds are the basis of life. Human life, your life, is dependent on plants. The qualities of the seed go beyond beauty to sustaining us nutritionally and medicinally. Seed is the foundation of human diets across the world.”

The National Seed Dialogue and Celebration honoured the role of smallholder farmers in maintaining and nurturing the diversity of seed in South Africa and regionally, who are being displaced and overridden by a growing private seed sector.

Hosted by the African Centre for Biodiversity at Constitution Hill in December 2017, thought-provoking dialogues were interspersed with drama, music, exhibitions and sharing of seed and literature.

This session on the Politics of Seed in South Africa aimed to provoke some discussion on the current political and social context, globally and in South Africa, and the implications for work on seed sovereignty, smallholder farmers and agroecology.