Seeds are memory. They carry generations of adaptation, culture, resilience — stories of soil, seasons, and sustenance. But today, our seeds face a threat unlike any before: global laws that treat them as property, rather than as shared heritage. The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) convention — especially its most recent 1991 version — empowers a handful of multinational seed corporations with monopolistic control. Farmers who once saved, exchanged, and re-planted seeds passed down through generations may now face legal barriers — even prosecution — for doing so.
That’s why OSA stands with the STOP UPOV campaign. Through a global alliance of more than 400 farmer and Indigenous-led groups and allies, STOP UPOV is demanding nothing less than the right to treat seeds as a commons — not as a commodity. They aim to dismantle laws that criminalize traditional seed saving, resist treaties that force privatization through trade deals, and defend biodiversity and food sovereignty for all.
If you believe that seeds belong to communities — not corporations — you can act. Learn more about UPOV, explore STOP UPOV’s guides and mapping tools, or consider joining the movement. Together, we can keep seed freedom alive.
Learn More: www.stopupov.org
