Indeed, partners collaborating to support participation in the annual Mekong-ASEAN Environmental Week (MAEW) in Thailand from 27 to 30 September 2025, alongside Project SEVANA, SAF Thailand, Food for Change, and AAN, can use this platform to strengthen connections within the seed network across the Mekong region. This fosters mutual learning and inspiration through sharing experiences and practices across countries. Moreover, key insights from the Mekong-ASEAN Environmental Week help develop a new SEA Seeds Network Proposal to strengthen initiatives within the Thai seed network and through potential collaborations between Thailand and other Mekong countries. The key activities from MAEW can be summarized below. 

The field visit on 27 September 2025 to the Hom Dok Hang Rice Group in Khok Sa-ard, Sakhon Nakhon, highlighted how the LerngHung Samakee Credit Union Cooperative—established over 40 years ago and now serving 21 villages—has become a basis of community resilience by integrating local economic development with natural resource conservation. Through initiatives in internal management, member services, capacity building, and sustainable resource use, the cooperative supports initiatives such as the Hom Dok Hang Rice Group’s conservation of indigenous rice varieties, the Family Economic Forest Project, OTOP product development, and a seed breeding collaboration expected to yield a registered local rice variety within three years. The community’s long-term success is rooted in strong governance, cross-sector partnerships, and values of honesty, responsibility, compassion, and trust that transcend religious boundaries. Harmonizing initiatives—including the Village Development Fund Store, conservation plots for forest and rice diversity, and the Hom Dok Hang Rice Processing Group—further strengthen livelihoods by promoting ecological farming, adding value to local products, and protecting the Khok forest ecosystem. Together, these efforts demonstrate a holistic model of economic, social, and environmental security built on the principle of “not for profit, but for members,” enabling farmers to live with dignity and sustainable futures.

From 28 to 30 September 2025, a variety of networking activities in MAEW were organized to strengthen the relationship between the Alternative Agriculture Network and the Farmer Network in the Region, as follows: 

The “Taste, Shop, Exchange” Market highlighted the rich diversity of seeds, food products, and local knowledge through contributions from nine provinces under AAN. Vegetable and rice seeds, seedlings, traditional foods, and value-added products are showcased. Knowledge exchange also explored plant genetics, regional biodiversity, and the conservation of genetic resources. Together, these activities created an exciting space for sharing community-based practices that strengthen food security and seed diversity.

Source: GRAIN, July 2025 https://grain.org/e/7284

Panel Discussion: “The Trends of Seed Business and the Impacts”       Kartini Samon (GRAIN): Over recent decades, the global seed industry has become a dominant force shaping food systems, driven not only by scientific advances but also by corporate consolidation and enabling legal frameworks. Corporations expand control through two main strategies: biological (promotion of hybrids that force farmers to repurchase seed each season) and legal (patents, Plant Variety Protection, and seed-marketing rules that restrict farmers’ ability to save, share, or sell seed). These measures favor a handful of companies—BASF, Bayer, Corteva, and Syngenta—and erode farmers’ seed sovereignty, local biodiversity, and traditional seed systems. A growing set of international mechanisms—trade agreements, the East Asia PVP Forum, IP Key Southeast Asia, and contested interpretations of the FAO Seed Treaty—are accelerating this trend regionally, often privileging corporate IP over farmers’ rights. Civil society responses include community seed banks, campaigns for Farmers’ Rights, and high-profile national resistances (e.g., Benin, Zambia, Guatemala/Argentina, Malaysia/Indonesia, Philippines), as well as transnational actions such as petitions and the Permanent People’s Tribunal. Advocates call for parallel seed systems, flexible registration for local varieties, and legal safeguards to protect community access to genetic resources.

Prakchol Usap (BioThai): Thailand’s Plant Variety Protection Act (1999) currently balances breeder rights and community/ farmers’ rights in principle. Still, practice shows private entities hold the majority of protected varieties (abou t 66% of ~771 protected varieties), and there is pressure to align domestic law with UPOV 1991. UPOV-style obligations—extended protection periods, coverage requirements, EDVs (essentially derived varieties), and strict seed-marketing standards—risk excluding farmer varieties from formal markets, shrinking on-farm diversity, and limiting farmers’ customary practices of saving and exchanging seed. EDV rules in particular could criminalize farmer selection and on-farm innovation by treating minor variants as company-owned derivatives. Emerging technologies such as gene editing add urgency: regulatory ambiguity and rapid policy shifts (including contested EU debates and domestic announcements) could normalize new claims to rights over genetic material. BioThai urges stronger legal recognition of Farmers’ Rights, parallel seed systems, community benefit-sharing, and coordinated advocacy to prevent tightening IP regimes from undermining local seed sovereignty and food security.

Various workshops include saving lettuce seeds from Khon Kean, a sprout kimchi workshop (Balanced-Protein Menu) from Maha Sarakham, rice seed saving according to certified standards from Yasothon, a Balanced Protein Menu & educational exhibition from Surin, making local vegetable rolls with Mun River fish from Sisaket, natural indigo-dyeing and weaving cloth from Kalasin, preparing khao khiap from diverse rice and local plants like torn sang from Udon Thani, rice planting and seed selection in the context of climate change from Chachoengsao, making processed bean desserts from Suphanburi, and a knowledge exchange on plant genetics and biodiversity in the southern eco-region, including perennial vegetables and the preservation of local genetic resources from the Southern Region.

Conclusion from Southeast Asia Seed Network Meeting:  

All three countries expressed inspiration from Thailand’s farmer networks and plan to use lessons learned to support seed conservation and diversity at home.

Myanmar

Participants noted that the forum was not only informative but also engaging and valuable. Learning about UPOV was new and concerning, as such policies may erode farmers’ rights. Due to the current situation in Myanmar, communicating these issues domestically remains challenging, but efforts will continue. International networking was seen as important for accessing information and for supporting farmers in better understanding these changes. Farmers are currently facing challenges, especially income instability linked to dependence on commercial seeds, while traditional seeds are being forgotten. However, local organizations are promoting food sovereignty through seed exchanges, biodiversity festivals, and traditional food events.

Laos

Participants had some prior awareness of UPOV but gained a clearer understanding through recent activities. The discussion highlighted how global systems are already shaping national policies, with several countries in the region joining UPOV. Preserving traditional plant varieties is essential for farmers’ livelihoods, and farmers must retain the ability to save seeds. Strengthening knowledge exchange within networks, particularly on rice and vegetable seed management, was emphasized.

Vietnam

Participants gained a clearer understanding of policy impacts on farmers and expressed admiration for Thai farmer networks that actively advocate for policy change. In Vietnam, although farmer associations exist, their structure differs from Thailand. Farmers largely rely on F1 hybrid seeds, which must be repurchased after one or two planting cycles and are more expensive than conventional rice. The decline of traditional rice varieties is linked to changing consumer preferences. While some institutions are researching indigenous varieties for climate adaptation, efforts remain limited. Challenges also include seed storage and viability. Thai experiences in seed saving and network organization were seen as inspiring ways to strengthen biodiversity conservation in Vietnam.

Next Step for Regional Collaboration

The group agreed on a regional collaboration agenda: community-level seed conservation and exchange, value-adding and local seed-based enterprises, consumer and market engagement to support diverse varieties, establishment of local seed libraries (ecological/watershed scale), joint technical training and youth volunteer engagement, shared genetic-resource inventories and recording tools, support for local variety registration and recognition by authorities, and the creation of a regional identity (logo) for the Southeast Asia Seed Network.

Further Thai Seed Network Movement

They also resolved to oppose proposals to amend Thailand’s Plant Variety Protection Act to align with UPOV 1991 and to restrict the unchecked introduction of genome-edited crops. Advocacy strategies include public education and easy-to-understand media, leadership development, coordinated petitions and provincial petitions, engagement with political parties and agricultural councils, and targeted messaging (e.g., “Seeds are people’s food; seeds belong to the public”). Immediate priorities are to produce accessible information, train local leaders, and open dialogue with policymakers.