Date: 29 May 2026
Time: 10AM Luxembourg / 11AM Kampala & Amman / 1:30PM New Delhi / 4PM Manila
Registration link: bit.ly/RuralVoicesSeeds
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Background & Rationale
On 9 June 2026, the European Union will convene the Food Justice Forum: Global Crises, Rights & Policies, which includes a workshop on Seed Diversity and Farmers’ Rights. At this critical political juncture, the EU’s proposed reforms on Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) and New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) have significant implications for agrobiodiversity, farmer-managed seed systems, and breeder autonomy.
The proposals risk reinforcing restrictive intellectual property regimes and accelerating corporate concentration in the seed sector. Through trade negotiations, the EU has also promoted alignment with the 1991 Act of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 91), which curtails farmers’ rights to save, exchange, and sell seeds. Such standards have been advanced in countries in the Global South, including Zimbabwe and the Philippines, with far-reaching implications for farmer-led seed systems.
For members and networks of the People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS), these developments demand coordinated analysis, political positioning, and advocacy strategies. The upcoming EU Food Justice Forum presents a strategic opportunity to articulate Global South perspectives, strengthen alliances, and advance a rights-based framework for seed governance.
In this context, PCFS will convene Rural Voices: Challenges and Initiatives on Seed Sovereignty on 29 May 2026 with members attending the Forum and partners actively campaigning on seeds. The consultation will be held at the following times: 10AM Luxembourg / 11AM Kampala & Amman / 1:30PM New Delhi / 4PM Manila.
The consultation will be grounded in the principles of food sovereignty, the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, and the defense of collective seed systems as living commons. It seeks to center the voices of smallholder farmers and grassroots movements in shaping global seed governance debates.
This consultation is a strategic step toward ensuring that Global South perspectives meaningfully shape discussions at the EU Food Justice Forum and contribute to broader international efforts to defend seed diversity and farmers’ rights.
Rural Voices – launched in 2020 amid the COVID‑19 pandemic – is PCFS’s flagship consultation series, bringing together members and partner networks to discuss how they are navigating today’s crises. Through these dialogues, PCFS sharpens its stance on key issues and strengthens its campaigns for food sovereignty. In the past year, Rural Voices examined “Our Climate Struggles for Food & Land” (June) and “Fisherfolk Struggles” (September).
Objectives
The consultation aims to:
- Share updates and political analysis on the EU PRM and NGT proposals and their global implications.
- Assess the impact of UPOV 91 and related trade pressures on farmer-managed seed systems in participating countries.
- Consolidate key messages and advocacy demands for the EU Food Justice Forum.
- Strengthen coordination among PCFS members and allied campaigns on seed sovereignty.
- Identify opportunities for international solidarity and joint actions linking EU and Global South struggles.
Speakers
- Julie Smit (PCFS Europe) – About EU Food Justice Forum
- Eliseo Ruzol Jr. (MASIPAG, Philippines) – On UPOV 91
- Hakim Baliraine (ESAFF Uganda) – AU-EU relations and impact on seed legislation
Guide Questions
As time constraints will only allow for a limited number of individual sharings, we kindly ask participants to use the following questions to help shape and prepare their interventions during the open plenary.
- What is the biggest threat or challenge your farmers are currently facing when trying to save, use, or share their own seeds?
- How is your community or organization is fighting back to protect local seeds and traditional farming?
- What is the main message or demand we must tell the European Union at the Forum to protect our seed sovereignty?