seed systems

This article (PDF) in the Agricultural Systems Journal, demonstrates how informal seed systems’ social relationships are structured in two communities and suggests that community-based agrobiodiversity initiatives could use networks to promote more equitable improved seed distribution. Community-based agrobiodiversity management projects have been at the forefront of integrating informal seed systems into food security initiatives. »

This set of factsheets by Bioversity International shows how the ‘Seeds for Needs’ initiative works with farmers to research how agricultural biodiversity can help minimize the risks associated with climate change. The concept is simple – if farmers have better information and access to a wide range of varieties, they are more able to choose what best suits their conditions and cope with unpredictable weather. Seeds for Needs is trying to encourage this by exposing farmers to more crop varieties and increase their first-hand knowledge about different traits and options available and strengthening their seed systems and seed-saving capacity so that they always have access to planting material that fits their changing needs. »

This report is an outcome of a Seed Security Assessment (SSA) conducted in West Nile sub-region in March 2015. The assessment, which was commissioned by the Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) Uganda, was necessitated by the need to fully understand the local community’s perspectives on seed security and how the influx of refugees in the sub-region affects seed demand and supply. »

This article in ScienceDaily shows that that small farmers, in many cases women, are the ones preserving landraces of food crops. The researchers looked at new census data from 11 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and combined that data with field observations. »

This paper by La Via Campesina and GRAIN is further exploring seed laws and legislative processes. They explore how seed laws make farmers’ seeds illegal and which types of seed laws are promoted by the industry. Furthermore, special attention is paid to the struggles of farmers with examples from Africa, America, Asia and Europe. »

This exploratory study by CDI on Rwanda’s seed sector has been commissioned by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kigali. The objectives of the study have been to: analyse the institutional landscape of Rwanda’s seed sector in terms of its capacities, governance and coordination; and advice on policy issues, and potential activities »