In 2013, the Ethiopian government adopted a new seed law, ‘Seed Proclamation 782/2013’, repealing the previous Seed Proclamation 206/2000. The Seed Proclamation 782/2013 remains the current seed legislation in Ethiopia and is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture. This revised seed law provides for certain provisions towards the safeguarding of farmers’ rights. Article 3, which provides for the scope of application, provides the following exceptions: a) the use of farm-saved seed by any person; b) the exchange or sale of farm-saved seed among smallholder farmers of agro-pastoralists; c) seed to be used for research purposes; and d) forestry seed. In regard to the first exception, ‘use’ is not defined in the Proclamation, and the ordinary meaning of the verb use has to be ascribed here, to include; take, hold, or deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing or achieving something; to employ. The current seed law of 2013 provides for much wider safeguards for the possible realisation of farmers’ rights than its predecessor which it replaced. In this revised seed law, specific references are made to small scale farmers and agro-pastoralists, as compared with the previous legislation of 2000.