This May, the Korean Peasant Women’s Association (KWPA) hosted La Via Campesina’s Continental Meeting on Agroecology and Seeds, bringing together 11 member organizations from 10 countries across the region. The conference served as a vital platform for participants—predominantly peasant women—to share national contexts, exchange experiences in seed protection, and connect their efforts to La Via Campesina’s global campaign in defense of Peasant Seeds.
As part of the exchange a public event was organized at the National Assembly of Korea on the 13th of May to build an awareness about La Via Campesina’s struggle in defense of peasant seeds. While speaking at this event, Anuka Vimukthi from MONLAR in Sri Lanka, also a member of La Via Campesina’s International Coordinating Committee, emphasized why peasant control over seeds are central to achieving food sovereignty.
“La Via Campesina opposes national laws and international treaties that criminalize communities for saving, using, reusing, and exchanging seeds. Without control over seeds, peasants cannot realize food sovereignty. We insist that seeds must not be privatized. National laws must prioritize the interests of small-scale food producers. The global threat of seed privatization is real and pressing—we must build a strong solidarity movement to defend peasant seed systems.”
She also referenced the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP), which protects peasant seed rights and noted that most Asian countries are signatories.
KWPA Secretary General Shin Ji-yeon outlined Korea’s national efforts to defend seed sovereignty.
“Founded in 1989, KWPA has led the food sovereignty movement through initiatives like protecting native seeds through – Adopt a Seed – a campaign action. We are promoting agroecology, and running the ‘Sisters’ Garden’ with the motto, ‘The right to seeds belongs to the farmers who grow them,’ . Our native seed cultivation program has expanded to 14 regions nationwide as of 2024. These seed farms act as local hubs for seed preservation, propagation, education, and awareness.”
KWPA has also pushed for local seed ordinances—now enacted in 33 provinces and cities—and continues to campaign for the revision of the Seed Industry Act and against GMOs.
National Experiences in Defending Peasant Seed Systems
Dayalakshmi Shrestha from the All Nepal Peasants’ Federation (ANPFA) explained that Nepal’s 2018 constitutional amendment guarantees food sovereignty and peasants’ rights, including the right to save, exchange and sell seeds.
“In Nepal, women produce and preserve most seeds. They constitute 70% of the agricultural workforce and are legally guaranteed 50% participation in agricultural policymaking and seed price regulation.”
However, she noted that patriarchal norms and neoliberal policies still hinder progress, even as women farmers push forward through programs that have influenced policy, including subsidies and improved access to credit.
Kavitha Narayanaswamy of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) in India discussed how multinational corporations and the WTO regime have devastated Indian agriculture since the early 1990s, and how peasant unions are fighting back.
“KRRS’s agroecology school Amritabhoomi, is a space for peasant farmers, youth, and women to teach and exchange about natural farming practises and traditional seed preservation. We promote seed sovereignty through the Seed Freedom Campaign and advocate for local governance, youth campaigns like the ‘Green Brigade,’ and farmer-led price setting.”
KRRS also demands national legislation banning GMOs and ensuring equitable access to seed resources, while opposing seed commodification and corporate monopolization.
Nesia Aggelita Dewi from the Indonesian Peasants’ Union (SPI) highlighted how ecological farming and seed preservation offer resilience in the face of climate change and inequality.
“Farmers in Indonesia endure the harsh effects of the climate crisis and economic disparity. Yet, by preserving native seeds and practicing ecological farming, they maintain autonomy and nurture hope. These seeds, often criminalized or dismissed, are powerful tools for survival and resistance.”
Participants from Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Thailand echoed these sentiments, stressing that native seeds carry ancestral heritage and identity. Women play a leading role in preserving and cultivating these seeds, as well as in safeguarding traditional food systems.
Professor Kim Eun-jin of Wonkwang University Law School raised concerns about the legal barriers that limit peasants’ rights to seeds and the restrictions preventing Korean farmers from selling them.
“South Korea permits only registered seed dealers to sell seeds, framing seeds purely as commercial goods. This contradicts court rulings that do not consider farmers’ crop sales as for-profit and called for interpreting seed sale rights under civil law, enabling farmers to legally sell seeds.”
Professor Kim Shin-hyo-jung of Myongji University emphasized agroecology as a political and practical response to the climate crisis.
“KWPA and La Via Campesina treat agroecology not just as a farming method, but as a core strategy for food sovereignty, gender justice, and sustainability. Governments must prioritize policies that ensure fair prices for agroecological produce, expand public food systems, and provide substantial support for transitioning to agroecology.”
‘Hope Lies in the Hands of Peasant Women who Defend Life’
Kim Jeong-yeol, International Coordinating Committee Member of La Via Campesina and a senior KWPA leader, posed fundamental questions.
“Did Monsanto invent soybeans and corn? Can there truly be patents on seeds? Should farmers be criminalized for using them? A seed that cannot reproduce is a dead seed. Yet corporations push these dead seeds to dominate food systems and criminalize farmers. Without seed sovereignty, food sovereignty is impossible. Without it, women farmers cannot live autonomous lives.”
She urged continued solidarity and support for women farmers in their efforts to preserve seeds, practice agroecology, and defend food sovereignty.
The conference concluded with a broad consensus on the vital need to enhance social dialogue surrounding native seeds, cultivate transnational solidarity, and strengthen alliances between rural and urban communities across each country. The continental meeting is expected to revitalize LVC’s Global Campaign – namely – Peasant Seeds, a Heritage of Peoples in the Service of Humanity. Participants committed to implementing initiatives focused on saving, conserving, and utilizing native seeds, while also advocating for their rights in international multilateral policy arenas. The Campaign Action – ‘Adopt a Seed’ – was reiterated to be an important transnational step, calling on all peasants to embrace it in all communities everywhere and continue the vital practice of seed saving.
The conference highlighted the importance of creating spaces where agroecology can thrive, transcending geographical boundaries. It also underscored the necessity of uniting producers and consumers in a collective movement for food sovereignty.
“In this time of global crisis, when even humanity’s survival feels uncertain, hope lies in the seeds that we—peasant women—sow,” said Kim in the closing session. “We are here nurturing and protecting life, despite the challenges. Our struggle is to defend this system and ensure a future for the planet and for all of us.”
The article is based on the reports filed by Jang Su-ji and Kim Su-na for IKP News. You can read the original articles here, here and here.