Global Information System

Number of records: 234

126) Law for Agrobiodiversity, Seeds and Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture (2017)

This law was developed under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and entered into force in 2017. The main objectives are to protect, revitalize and promote dynamic conservation of agrobiodiversity; ensure production, free and permanent access to quality seeds, including by strengthening scientific research and promoting sustainable agricultural production models. It also respect the diverse identities, knowledge and traditions that guarantee the availability of healthy, diverse, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to achieve food sovereignty and contribute to the ‘Good Living’ (‘Sumak Kawsay’). It guarantees the free use and exchange of peasant seeds, and establishes rules for the production, certiﬁcation and commercialization of certified seeds. The law is a normative instrument that would allow the conservation of diverse agricultural biodiversity species of nutritional and economic importance, as well as with industrial potentials. The law consists of three chapters: (1) conservation of native seed; (2) regulation of certified seed; and (3) sustainable agricultural practices. It includes a clarification of rights in the context of PGRFA as well as provisions for the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, including monitoring, research and innovation activities; knowledge sharing and seed exchange. A technical committee is currently developing the implementation modalities of this new law.

Category: 10.Legal measures for the implementation of Farmers’ Rights, such as legislative measures related to PGRFA.

Type of measure/practice: Legal

127) International Maize Improvement Consortium – Asia (IMIC-Asia)

In 2010, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), in collaboration with seed companies, launched the International Maize Improvement Consortium – Asia (IMIC-Asia), a consortium of organizations engaged in maize research, breeding, hybrid production, seed sales and marketing in South and Southeast Asia. Objectives included (1) developing and testing inbred and hybrid maize with abiotic and biotic stress tolerance and high yield potential based on needs and priorities identified by consortium members; (2) improving maize productivity and livelihoods of farmers in rain-fed farming areas that have not yet benefited from improved and adapted seeds; and (3) developing capacities of breeders and technical personnel of consortium members in modern maize breeding and breeding informatics. Core component is the establishment of a consortium of small- and medium-size enterprises and research organizations in which all partners contribute to building capacities and technical expertise in maize breeding. Together, they established a strong collaborative testing network for identifying promising pre-release products for further evaluation at the national or state level as a part of the varietal release process. CIMMYT hybrid combinations are in the process of being allocated to interested members for commercialization and deployment to farmers.

Category: 6.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.

Type of measure/practice: Technical

128) Collaborative research to assess germplasm for climate-change adaptation and food security in mountain areas of Albania

The Agricultural University of Tirana, through its Institute of Plant Genetic Resources and the Department of Crop Sciences and in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in 2015 started an initiative to characterize and evaluate Albanian germplasm and to promote the sharing of benefits arising from the use of these resources. Core components of the collaborative research include: (1) identification of germplasm accessions from ex situ collections; (2) characterization and evaluation of stored and newly collected accessions; (3) identification of accessions of local crops resistant to climate change, pests and diseases; and (4) multiplication of identified accessions and the distribution of planting material to farmers. Results of this collaboration had improved the capacities of low-income farmers in mountain areas and staff of national institutions to better adapt to climate change; promoted conservation and utilization of locally adapted crop varieties; local seed systems were strengthened through on-farm conservation of PGRFA; and enhanced food security of poor farmers living in the mountain areas.

Category: 7.Participatory approaches to research on PGRFA, including characterization and evaluation, participatory plant breeding and variety selection

Type of measure/practice: Technical

129) Potato Accelerated Release Program

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Potato Accelerated Release Program began in 1998. It is a two-phase process to fast track the release of promising potato selections developed at the Fredericton and Lethbridge Research and Development Centres of AAFC to the producers. In phase one, 10-15 new selections are offered to potato producers each February for two years of non-exclusive field testing. These early favorites are typically at year six of a testing and selection program that traditionally took about twelve years. For a fee of $100 per selection, plus applicable taxes, growers receive a limited quantity of breeder's selection seed and non-exclusive rights to conduct their own field performance and quality evaluation trials for two years. In phase two, following the non-exclusive testing, AAFC invites potato producers to submit cash bids to procure a further three-year period of exclusive testing. At the end of this testing, or sooner at the request of the producer and farmers, an eight-year, renewable license to commercialize a selection may be negotiated. In 2018, in consultation with growers’ representatives, AAFC began the process of modernizing its potato breeding and commercialization programs. This process is currently still in progress.

Category: 7.Participatory approaches to research on PGRFA, including characterization and evaluation, participatory plant breeding and variety selection

Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative

130) Putting farmers and Indigenous Peoples’ access to crop diversity at centre in seed policy and practice

The measure is a game changing solution presented to the UN Food System Summit 2021 calling for a fundamental re-think of how seed system development is supported globally. Our proposal is to ensure and promote – through legislation, seed policies and action – that farmers have access to a diversity of well adapted varieties of crops that meet agroecological, nutritional and cultural needs and preferences. Farmers’ seed systems are key to provide farmers with access to both local varieties developed over millennia of farmer selection and varieties developed with modern plant breeding. We call for a bottom-up demand-driven approach to seed security to complement the currently dominant top-down supply-side approach, thereby supporting farmers’ agency and recognizing farmers’ seed systems contribution to global food security.