Thai Farmers Fight for the Right to Save Native Rice Seed

BioThai grew out of the Thai Network on Community Rights and Biodiversity (1995), became an organisation in 1999 and was registered as a foundation in 2006. With partners it supports over 400 communities in every region of Thailand on the recovery, development and use of rice varieties, local vegetables and tropical fruits. It also fights biopiracy, monitors GM contamination and campaigns for laws that protect farmers' rights to keep, use and exchange seed. On 18 September 2026 it was among 146 civil society organisations urging scrutiny of Thailand-EU free trade talks and rejecting UPOV 1991 commitments.