Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations  
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Building a vibrant seed sector, improving access to quality seeds and connecting farmers to the market (ISSD Africa)

ISSD Africa is a research project (2014-2017) coordinated by a consortium of Wageningen Centre of Development Innovation (WCDI) of Wageningen University & Research, the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), the Future Agricultures Consortium and Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development in Nairobi, Kenya, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project united African seed experts, seed programmes and associated organizations in a community of practice, aiming to increase farmers’ access to quality seed through the development of market-oriented, pluralistic and vibrant seed sectors in Africa. The ISSD approach is a seed sector-wide, demand-driven and inclusive approach, designing interventions tailored to specific crops, value chains and seed systems. During the first project period, action learning focused on four themes: (1) promoting seed entrepreneurship; (2) increasing access to varieties from the public domain; (3) matching global commitments with national realities; and (4) supporting seed sector development under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the African Union-lead Agriculture, Seed and Biotechnology Program. The community of practice provided a structure for experimenting, sharing and learning, enhancing collaboration and promoting synergy.
Most relevant categories
  1. Facilitation of farmers’ access to a diversity of PGRFA through community seed banks, seed networks and other measures improving farmers’ choices of a wider diversity of PGRFA.
Also relevant categories
  1. Recognition of local and indigenous communities’, farmers’ contributions to conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, such as awards and recognition of custodian/guardian farmers
  2. Approaches to encourage income-generating activities to support farmers’ conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA
  3. In-situ/on farm conservation and management of PGRFA, such as social and cultural measures, community biodiversity management and conservation sites
  4. Participatory approaches to research on PGRFA, including characterization and evaluation, participatory plant breeding and variety selection
  5. Training, capacity development and public awareness creation
Institution/organizationResearch Centers and Academic Institution
Provision of Art. 9 addressedArt. 9.2b; Art. 9.3
TypesTechnical
Countries
RegionsAfrica
KeywordsSeed network; Seed system
Resource linkhttps://www.fao.org/3/ca4161en/ca4161en.pdf
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