Policy analysis to identify gaps in the legal framework for seed regarding the implementation of Farmers' Rights in Burkina Faso

In 2017, the sub-regional civil society organization Comité Ouest-Africain des Semences Paysannes (COASP), as a member of Convergence Globale des Luttes pour la Terre et l’Eau and in colla¬boration with Réseau Mondial pour le Droit à l’Alimentation et la Nutrition (both networks to promote environmental rights and the right to food), conducted an analysis of the current normative framework relating to seed in Burkina Faso. The objective was to understand the implications of the transformation of seed systems in Burkina Faso from the perspective of farming communities and their rights to seed. The analysis resulted in the following key observations: (1) farmers’ seeds and seed systems are of crucial importance for food security and sovereignty as well as biodiversity conservation; (2) farming communities exercise their rights over seeds mainly through their seed systems; (3) the realization of Farmers' Rights thus depends on the recognition and legal protection of farmers’ seeds and seed systems. However, the current normative framework has significant shortcomings in this regard. The in-depth analysis of the normative framework has created the basis for a policy dialogue between farmers’ and civil society organizations and the government on the adoption of appropriate measures for the realization of Farmers' Rights.