Public procurement of farmers’ seed varieties for food programmes

Articulação do Semi-árido (ASA) Brasileiro worked with Paraiba State government to recognize farmer’s seed, strengthen seed production and facilitate distribution at state level. Later, these activities were connected to national programmes on agroecology, family farming and food and nutrition security. The objectives were to conserve biodiversity; to encourage production and exchange of seeds of local varieties; and to promote food security and sustainable farming practices. In 2002, a state law was passed in Paraiba to allow direct transfer from the government to farmers; in 2005, the procurement of farmer varieties for distribution through the national Food Acquisition Programme (PAA) was initiated, which was later extended to national level. Procurement through the PAA included a pillar on seed purchase; in addition, seed production, quality control and seed fairs were supported by government agencies, including the public sector agricultural research agency Embrapa. The integration of traditional food crops and farmer varieties into public procurement programmes has helped to strengthen and diversify production of family farms and resulted in healthier diets. In 2011, the PAA was being implemented in about 40% of municipalities in Brazil, reaching 25,000 government and non-government organizations, with 15 million people benefiting from food distribution through the programme annually.