Chief Madzimawe speaking when he visited the CTDT stand at the House of Chiefs Meeting
Farmers from Shibuyunji and Rufunsa recently joined the House of Chiefs meeting to showcase their indigenous seed varieties. Their message was simple; Zambia’s farming future must be rooted in its cultural past by embracing traditional seed varieties. Side by side with traditional leaders, they showcased the diversity and resilience of traditional seeds that have sustained farming families for generations.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, Chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni people in Kasenengwa District of Eastern Province urged his fellow traditional leaders and other stakeholders to protect Zambia’s indigenous seeds as a national heritage. The Chief stressed that traditional seeds carry more than food value but also carry identity, history and knowledge.
“It’s important for us to preserve the indigenous seeds because you cannot talk about the existence of culture without talking about the things that sustain culture,” he said. “Everybody has come to know us because of these seeds.” He added.
Chief Madzimawe further noted that modern agriculture does not have to exclude indigenous knowledge. “Whoever is bringing these foreign seeds found us with these seeds. What we want is not to forget them. Even those bringing modernity should embrace this, brand this, even in their corporate colors
. They can still make business. If we allow these seeds to disappear, the next thing will be the downfall of traditional leadership, because our food comes from them. If we don’t preserve this, slowly we are killing our own existence,” He added.
Interacting with the Chiefs during the meeting, Bevies Mushimbwa, a farmer working with CTDT, raised concerns that proposed seed laws and commercial seeds risk eroding farmer seed systems. He appealed for recognition of traditional, “seeds are not simply inputs, they are part of Zambia’s heritage,” he said.
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