April 29, 2020

Global agriculture is expected to deliver on a formidable triple challenge: 

• First, it must provide food security, by ensuring that healthy and nutritious food is available and affordable for the  world population
• This needs to be done sustainably, by protecting and conserving the planet’s resources: producing more food on the same amount of land while using less water and other resources.
• It must also generate incomes and provide livelihoods to farmers worldwide, as well as others in the food chain.

Agriculture must respond to these challenges while adapting to climate change and supporting mitigation efforts such as reduced emissions from farming practices and land-use-change. The development of new plant varieties that respond to the effects of climate change, with features such as disease resistance, drought, salt & flood tolerance combined with high yields and good eating quality, need to be combined with farmer access to good quality seed. 

High quality seed of new varieties has the potential to improve the sustainability and resilience of farming while raising income for farmers. These benefits will be passed on to consumers in the form of improved food security, greater choice and affordability. 

For many countries, agricultural development continues to be central to their wider development prospects. The agricultural sector’s potential to drive economic growth, reduce poverty, provide food security and deliver environmental services is also dependent on government policies and regulations that create and shape an enabling business environment.  

THE WORLD SEED PARTNERSHIP

The World Seed Partnership (WSP) aims to promote the development of a seed sector that addresses the challenges of food security, sustainability and creating livelihoods at national and global levels. 

The WSP is built on the principle that countries need innovation to ensure that all farmers have access to good quality seed of high performing varieties. The WSP works to ensure that farmers have the seed and knowledge they need, that the needs of plant breeders and seed producers are understood and reflected in policies, and that governments have the information and tools they need to develop a regulatory framework that delivers a well-functioning and vibrant seed sector. 

Each member of the WSP brings a specific set of skills to the broader challenge: 

• Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Seed Schemes provides an international framework for agricultural seed trade by varietal certification, thereby increasing the availability of high performing varieties.
• International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) provides and promotes an effective system of plant variety protection, with the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants, for the benefit of society.
• International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) is an international association that represents the seed quality sampling and testing organisations and laboratories at the world level, helping to ensure that the seeds sown by farmers are of the highest quality.
• International Seed Federation (ISF) represents the interests of national seed associations and seed companies at a global level. ISF works in partnership with the individuals and organizations shaping the policies, treaties conventions and agreements that affect the seed industry, to ensure that the seed industry speaks with one voice.
• World Farmers Organization (WFO) provides access to the voice of food producers on the global scene, enhancing their relevance as economic, social and environmental actors.

The WSP offers an entry point for countries, by providing them with guidance and expertise to develop a well-functioning seed sector, thereby enabling farmers to have access to high quality seed of new plant varieties. 

Website: http://www.worldseedpartnership.org/

Published: April 29, 2020