Four firms control more than half of the world’s seed supply. Italian farmers are fighting back and returning to the bartering system

A farmhouse in the Marche hills of Italy became the site of a protest against the four largest agrochemical companies in the world on August 7. The Italian farming network RAN gathered to teach people how to save, trade, and pass down seeds that cannot be patented by any company. The event sold out quickly after a Facebook post garnered over 1,600 sign-ups in just days.

This highlights a growing issue for farmers: the four companies - Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF - now control 56% of the commercial seed market and 61% of the pesticide market. Bayer alone holds 23% of global seed supply. The farming industry is already above the 40% combined share threshold for market distortions and 60% threshold for antitrust scrutiny.

RAN's "Casa Diffusa dei Semi" project offers an alternative to the corporate seed system by allowing growers to save, reproduce, and share seeds free of patents and genetic modification. Antonio Lo Fiego, an agronomist, led a workshop on gift economy principles for selecting, gathering, and preserving vegetable seeds. This model aims to provide an alternative to the corporate system.

The concentration of seed ownership is evident in the US, with Corteva controlling 38.3% of corn seed and Bayer holding 33.3%. In cotton, four firms control 93.6% of seed supply, with Bayer holding 38.4%. The patents on seed traits restrict farmers from replanting patented seeds without a license, leading to potential legal action.

RAN and its predecessor, Rete Semi Rurali, are guided by the FAO's International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which recognizes farmers' rights to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seed.