🌱 T𝐨d𝐚y i𝐬 𝐈n𝐭e𝐫n𝐚t𝐢o𝐧a𝐥 𝐒e𝐞d D𝐚y.

For millennia, Africa's farmers — especially women — have saved, exchanged, and nurtured seeds with extraordinary wisdom and care. These are not just agricultural inputs. They are living memory. Cultural identity. Spiritual heritage. Climate resilience. Sovereignty.

This is the heart of our 2026 #SeedIsLife Campaign and its message is clear:

Our seeds are not commodities. They are life.

Yet across Africa, corporate seed laws, UPOV-aligned legislation, and GMO expansion are systematically threatening the very seeds that feed 80% of our continent.

We are raising our voice. We are defending our heritage. We are claiming our rights.

👉 Read the full campaign — 10 Reasons Why Seed Is Life:
https://mailchi.mp/afsafrica.org/seed-is-life-2026-celebrating-our-heritage-this-international-seed-day

#SeedIsLife #FMSS #SeedSovereignty #FoodSovereignty #NoToUPOV #OurSeedsOurFuture #AFSA #InternationalSeedDay

🌱 𝐀𝐮𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐝'𝐡𝐮𝐢, 𝐜'𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞́𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.

Depuis des millénaires, les paysan·nes d'Afrique — en particulier les femmes — ont sauvegardé, échangé et entretenu les semences avec une sagesse et un soin extraordinaires. Ce ne sont pas de simples intrants agricoles. Ce sont mémoire vivante. Identité culturelle. Patrimoine spirituel. Résilience climatique. Souveraineté.

C'est le cœur de notre campagne Ma Semence Ma Vie 2026 et son message est clair :

Nos semences ne sont pas des marchandises. Elles sont la vie.

Pourtant, à travers l'Afrique, les lois semencières des entreprises, les législations alignées sur l'UPOV et l'expansion des OGM menacent systématiquement les semences qui nourrissent 80 % de notre continent.

Nous élevons notre voix. Nous défendons notre héritage. Nous revendiquons nos droits.

👉 Lisez la campagne complète — 10 Raisons pour lesquelles Ma Semence Ma Vie :

https://mailchi.mp/afsafrica.org/ma-semence-ma-vie-2026-clbrons-notre-hritage-en-cette-journe-internationale-des-semences

#MaSemenceMaVie #SSP #SouverainetéSemencière #SouverainetéAlimentaire #NonÀlUPOV #NosSemencesNotreAvenir #AFSA #JournéeInternationaleDesSemences

🌱 SEED IS LIFE 2026 IS HERE.

Today, AFSA officially launches the 2026 Seed Is Life Campaign — our continent-wide call to protect Farmer-Managed Seed Systems and defend farmers' rights to seed.

80% of Africa's food comes from farmers' seeds.
Seeds that have been saved, exchanged, and nurtured across generations.
Seeds that feed families, sustain cultures, and anchor food sovereignty.

Yet today, these seeds — and the farmers who grow them — are under threat.

Corporate seed laws. UPOV-aligned legislation. GMO expansion. All designed to take control of our seeds out of our hands.

Not on our watch. 🌿

From April 25–27, join us as we celebrate, claim, and defend our seed sovereignty — on International Seed Day and beyond.

This year, AFSA's Seed and Agroecology Working Group — with UNDROP — hosted a landmark trilingual consultation on Farmers' Rights to Seed, bringing together farmers, advocates, and policymakers in English, French, Portuguese and Kiswahili.

Because our seeds are not just crops.
They are identity. Culture. Sovereignty. Life.

👉 Read the full campaign brief & join the movement:
https://mailchi.mp/afsafrica.org/seed-is-life-our-seeds-our-rights-our-future
https://mailchi.mp/afsafrica.org/ma-semence-ma-vie-nos-semences-nos-droits-notre-avenir

🔁 Share this. Tag your networks. Amplify the message.
#SeedIsLife #FMSS #SeedSovereignty #FoodSovereignty
#OurSeedsOurRights #NoToUPOV #NoToGMOs
#AfricanSeeds #Agroecology #AFSA

🌱 SEED IS LIFE 2026 IS HERE.

Today, AFSA officially launches the 2026 Seed Is Life Campaign — our continent-wide call to protect Farmer-Managed Seed Systems and defend farmers' rights to seed.

80% of Africa's food comes from farmers' seeds.
Seeds that have been saved, exchanged, and nurtured across generations.
Seeds that feed families, sustain cultures, and anchor food sovereignty.

Yet today, these seeds — and the farmers who grow them — are under threat.

Corporate seed laws. UPOV-aligned legislation. GMO expansion. All designed to take control of our seeds out of our hands.

Not on our watch. 🌿

From April 25–27, join us as we celebrate, claim, and defend our seed sovereignty — on International Seed Day and beyond.

This year, AFSA's Seed and Agroecology Working Group — with UNDROP — hosted a landmark trilingual consultation on Farmers' Rights to Seed, bringing together farmers, advocates, and policymakers in English, French, Portuguese and Kiswahili.

Because our seeds are not just crops.
They are identity. Culture. Sovereignty. Life.

👉 Read the full campaign brief & join the movement:
https://mailchi.mp/afsafrica.org/seed-is-life-our-seeds-our-rights-our-future

🔁 Share this. Tag your networks. Amplify the message.
#SeedIsLife #FMSS #SeedSovereignty #FoodSovereignty
#OurSeedsOurRights #NoToUPOV #NoToGMOs
#AfricanSeeds #Agroecology #AFSA

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭: 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐅𝐒𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 & 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭

The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is inviting expressions of interest from qualified, Africa-based firms to provide social media consultancy services for a period of 12 months, renewable based on performance.

AFSA is Africa's largest civil society network, uniting 48 member organisations across 50 countries and advancing agroecology and food sovereignty for over 200 million people across the continent. As we scale our digital presence, we are seeking a creative, experienced, and mission-aligned social media partner to help amplify our work.

The consultancy covers two key areas. The first is the promotion and digital campaign management of AFSA's four major Pan-African flagship campaigns #MyFoodIsAfrican, #Agroecology4Climate #SeedIsLife, and #DefendOurLandRestoreOurSoil. The selected firm will be expected to develop campaign strategies, produce short-form videos, design visual assets, promote content across platforms, and deliver regular performance reports.

The second area covers the production and promotion of AFSA's newly launched podcast, The Battle for African Agriculture, hosted by AFSA General Coordinator Dr. Million Belay. The consultancy will manage end-to-end weekly episode recording, professional audio and video editing, multi-platform promotion across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, as well as audience growth and analytics reporting.

Interested firms are required to submit a company profile, portfolio evidence of previous campaigns and podcast production experience, team and influencer profiles, a pilot social media plan, and a detailed budget proposal.

Proposals must be submitted to [email protected] by 27 April 2026 at 23:59 East Africa Time, with the subject line: EOI – Social Media Consultancy for AFSA Campaigns & Podcast. For technical inquiries, please contact [email protected].

For full details on the scope of work, submission requirements, and evaluation criteria, please refer to the Terms of Reference (TOR) attached.

https://afsafrica.org/blog/expression-of-interest-social-media-consultancy-for-afsa-campaigns-podcast/

𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 | 𝟐–𝟒 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 | 𝐍'𝐃𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐚, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐝

Africa's seed sovereignty movement is going further. The 4th Pan-African Seed Governance Conference is coming to N'Djamena, Chad, building on three landmark gatherings in Dakar, Dar es Salaam, and Niamey. This year marks a historic expansion — from seed sovereignty to genetic sovereignty — bringing together farmers, pastoralists, civil society, researchers, and policymakers to defend Africa's biodiversity, assert data rights, and protect farmer-managed seed systems ahead of the African Union's continental seed policy framework launch.

Join us as we stand together to protect Africa's seed diversity and the Farmer Managed Seed Systems that feed our continent. We will confront the pressures threatening to displace locally adapted seeds — from digital platforms capturing agricultural data, to external funding steering policy away from agroecology, to trade frameworks that privilege commercial varieties over the diverse, resilient seeds in farmers' hands. Together, we will shape how Africa's seed heritage is governed, ensuring that farmers remain at the centre of our food systems.

Organized by AFSA, PEPAF-Tchad, and SWISSAID Chad.
#SeedIsLife #SeedSovereignty #FoodSovereignty

🌱 𝐑𝐄́𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐙 𝐋𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 | 𝟐–𝟒 𝐉𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 | 𝐍'𝐃𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐚, 𝐓𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐝

Le mouvement pour la souveraineté semencière en Afrique franchit une nouvelle étape. La 4ème Conférence Pan-Africaine sur la Gouvernance Semencière se tiendra à N'Djamena, au Tchad, en s'appuyant sur trois rencontres historiques à Dakar, Dar es Salaam et Niamey. Cette édition marque une expansion décisive — de la souveraineté semencière à la souveraineté génétique — en réunissant agriculteurs, pasteurs, société civile, chercheurs et décideurs politiques pour défendre la biodiversité africaine, affirmer les droits sur les données et protéger les systèmes semenciers gérés par les paysans, à la veille du lancement du cadre politique continental de l'Union Africaine sur les semences.

Rejoignons-nous pour protéger la diversité semencière de l'Afrique et les Systèmes Semenciers Paysans qui nourrissent notre continent. Nous ferons face aux pressions qui menacent de marginaliser les semences localement adaptées — des plateformes numériques qui captent les données agricoles, aux financements extérieurs qui détournent les politiques de l'agroécologie, en passant par les cadres commerciaux qui privilégient les variétés commerciales au détriment des semences diverses et résilientes entre les mains des paysans. Ensemble, nous façonnerons la gouvernance du patrimoine semencier de l'Afrique, en veillant à ce que les agriculteurs restent au cœur de nos systèmes alimentaires.

Organisée par l'AFSA, PEPAF-Tchad et SWISSAID Tchad.
#MaSemenceMaVie #SouverainetéSemencière #SouverainetéAlimentaire

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗙𝗦𝗔 || 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗬 || 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗧𝗪𝗢

In the second part of his interview for The Voice of AFSA Newsletter, Dr Million Belay takes us inside the story of how the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa took shape. He traces AFSA’s beginnings from early conversations among African networks, through the first meetings in Addis Ababa, to its formal launch and registration. Rather than a single founding moment, he describes #AFSA as a collective journey built over time, shaped by shared principles, trust, and a deep commitment to African led thinking on #foodsystems.

He speaks candidly about the choices AFSA made early on, why #FoodSovereignty mattered, how #agroecology became central, and what it meant to build a continental movement with political clarity, bold positions, and a strong African voice.

Million also reflects on AFSA’s journey and achievements over the years, from the establishment of working groups on #land, #seeds, #climate, and #citizens, to major milestones such as continental food systems conferences, seed and soil initiatives, agroecological entrepreneurship, and campaigns like #MyFoodIsAfrican and #SeedIsLife. He explains how AFSA grew by remaining member driven rather than secretariat led, with these spaces becoming engines of learning and action across the continent.

At the end of the conversation, Dr Million reflects on continuity and responsibility. He explains why he launched The #BattleForAfricanAgriculture podcast as a space for learning, documentation, and deeper engagement with Africa’s food systems struggles.

When asked how he hopes to be remembered, he shifts away from titles or recognition and speaks instead of trying to do the right thing, walking with others, and helping remove obstacles so movements, ideas, and people can move forward together.

Read Part Two of the interview in The Voice of AFSA Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/afsafrica.org/meet-million-belay-part-two

Listen to the full conversation here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7bXBFhmttw

𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗧 #𝗖𝗢𝗣𝟯𝟬, 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗲́𝗺, 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗹

AFSA’s Programmes and Networking Coordinator, Bridget Mugambe, joined government authorities, global movement leaders, and civil society partners in a high-level panel on Territorial Agroecology Networks: Integrating Climate Resilience with Food and Nutritional Security. The session highlighted how territorial #agroecology, supported by public policies, is driving climate justice, food sovereignty, and resilient local food systems, with lessons drawn from Brazil and global alliances.

In her remarks, Bridget highlighted AFSA’s major continental initiatives that are strengthening #agroecology as a just #climate solution. These include the #SeedIsLife Campaign promoting farmer managed seed systems, the Healthy Soil Healthy Food Initiative implemented through 15 soil learning centres across Africa to regenerate soils using biofertilisers and biopesticides strictly through an agroecological approach, and the #MyFoodIsAfrican Campaign celebrating traditional African cuisines for healthy diets, cultural revival, and sustainable food systems. She emphasised that food is more than what is on our plate , it is political, and our choices impact the planet, the communities growing food, and the farmers who nourish us.

In her intervention, Bridget shared AFSA’s continental advocacy to position agroecology as a just climate action and to institutionalize agroecology within global climate frameworks, including under the #UNFCCC processes. She underscored the power of social movements, youth and women leadership, community-driven knowledge, and solidarity networks across Africa.

Watch her short video below as she speaks from the Action Agenda venue, hosted by the #COP30 Presidency, amplifying Africa’s voice for system-wide transformation.

#Agroecology4Climate