At least 100 stakeholders from 25 countries in Africa, Europe, and the US will meet in Dar es Salaam for a three-day meeting to brainstorm over indigenous seeds, which largely contribute to food security on the African continent.
The national coordinator of the Tanzania Alliance for Biodiversity (TABIO), Mr. Abdallah Mkindi, informed me that the meeting that started on Tuesday will end on Wednesday.
“The participants will look into the fate of the traditional seeds, which are not being prioritised in policies and laws,” Mr. Mkindi told journalists.
He emphasised that research shows that indigenous seeds are safe and reliable for food. “From August 14 to 16, more than 100 stakeholders from 25 countries across Africa, Europe, and the United States are convening in Dar es Salaam, and the main agenda is to discuss the fate of seeds’’.
The conference is organised jointly by the African Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA), TABIO, and SwissAid. Tanzania is hosting the event because TABIO is a member of AFSA, which has members throughout Africa.
According to Mr. Mkindi, Tanzania will be represented by TABIO, SwissAid, a representative from the Parliament, the government, and other institutions in the seed and agricultural chain. He listed the participating countries as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Spain, Norway, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Australia.
Others include Togo, Mali, Benin, Chad, Tunisia, Niger, South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Egypt, Rwanda, the DR Congo, and Gabon.”
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