Seed has been recognised an important agent for agricultural development and food security for several decades. Currently, several development actors have a focus on communities rather than established companies in their attempts to making the best seed available to farmers. This follows earlier attempts to develop effective formal seed systems in the Global South. Exchanges of views on how best to improve the seed situation in a particular setting meets with serious challenges. There is however quite some light at the end of the tunnel.
Shifting Visions in Seed Development Cooperation
The world of development workers appears to be led by certain visions, or we may even call it fashions, that guide their interventions. There is a long history of tunnel vision. In the 1950s and 60s, it was the Green Revolution: “we just need to develop better varieties and yields will go up; farmers’ livelihoods will be secured, and national and global food security be enhanced”; “we don’t have to worry about seeds since farmers will share the best varieties among themselves in the lateral spread strategy”.
In the 1970s, it appeared that new varieties did not automatically reach farmers and governments were assisted to set up seed production (mainly on government farms) and distribution through the public extension services with significant support from the FAO and development donors. In the 1980s and 90s, this was followed by equally massive investments in seed certification and testing infrastructure, as well as the introduction of seed legislation modelled on examples from the U.S., India, Europe, and most African countries. These laws prescribe that all seed in the market has to be certified and sold by registered seed distributors. As a result, all farmers’ seed saving and exchange literally became illegal, even where it continued to supply over 90% of the seed used by farmers.
At the start of the century, seeds disappeared from the agenda with the exception of research by/through the CGIAR. The limitations of the technology-driven solutions had reduced the donors’ appetite who in turn invested more in bottom-up rural development.
The Rise of Farmers’ Seed Systems
Eventually, seeds came back as part of that agenda and farmers’ seed systems were increasingly hailed as a result. Support to local initiatives started to take the fore in the form of community seed banks, participatory plant breeding and seed fairs, using farmer-field schools as a tested methodology. More recently, local seed business development became the new buzz, with farmer cooperatives producing seed under FAOs ‘quality declared seed’ concept. Also, on-farm management of crop genetic diversity (next to genebanks) through these farmers’ seed systems is appealing for policy makers and donors. Commercial seedsmen may not consider such projects particularly helpful.
Other efforts attempted, with varying degrees of success, to support local seed entrepreneurs with their multiplication and distribution tasks. These initiatives, commonly based on publicly bred varieties, received slightly more favourable attention from the commercial sector.
Integrated Approaches: ISSD and Beyond
The current fashion has, however, the capacity to stay — it shows the way to get out of the silos and look at the whole picture instead. First, the African Union adopted the concept of Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) some time ago. The concept recognises the different formal and farmers’ seed systems that operate side by side and value the effective combination of the knowledge systems and genetic resources that form these. ISSD provides a broad vision of farmers’ seed needs for policy makers and the variety of stakeholders. Secondly there is the Seed for Food Coalition initiative, of which ISF is party next to some NGOs and governments, which aims to pull parties out of the trenches that block international policies reaching fruitful outcomes. This is still a young initiative, but it is important to create a safe space for discussions about the diversity of issues around seeds. Also here, looking at the whole width of seed systems is essential.
Building Bridges: Collaboration for a Resilient Seed Sector
Some donors may prefer to contribute to farmers’ seed systems and farmers’ rights, but when that is done in an ISSD frame, others may support complementary initiatives that fill other gaps in creating choice for farmers. Supporting farmers’ seed systems can be done either as a principle, or as a practical effect of the formal (private and public) sector failing to provide seeds of many major (self-fertilizing) food crops and failing to reach many remote and resource-poor farmers. Such support may not immediately be beneficial for the commercial seed sector, but when done with a broad view it can, in the longer run. Already we see that support to seed producing communities in Uganda leads to local seed businesses, needing business-friendly policies from their government. In Ethiopia, attention to farmers’ seed systems in an ISSD approach also created a push towards improved phytosanitary services that are important for international seed trade.
Now that development cooperation is under pressure in several countries, I observe that the recognition of seeds as an agent for rural development and food security, and at the same time as a potentially sustainable business sector, has climbed the priority ladder of several public donors and foundations. So, this is the moment for the private sector to step up initiatives to show that it knows seeds and that it can contribute that knowledge. That requires though that it also knows the strength and importance of other seed systems than the commercial ones and not push for short-term private sector interests only. That we don’t have experience in seed crops like cowpea, finger millet or cassava does not mean that support, knowledge and even co-funding, cannot be given to initiatives that improve quality and diversity in such “opportunity crops”. Public-private club ‘SeedNL’ shows that such broad support to seed systems meets with praise in several countries. Development cooperation is an ally, even for people who are used to speed of decision making and to focusing on short term goals.
Niels Louwaars is a Seed World Europe columnist and Seed Systems Specialist.
