The harvest is in the seed

Events

AfricaSeedsEvents
© GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR THE FUTURE OF FOOD
09 Feb, 2021 No Comments
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Week 17 – Training Material: Options for Stakeholder Engagement and Benefit Sharing in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems

Authors: Edith Lammerts van Bueren, Conny Almekinders, Eva Weltzien, Veronique Chable, Riccardo Bocci, Monika Messmer, Fred Rattunde, Claudius van de Vijver; Global Alliance for the Future of Food, CGIAR, Dynaversity and LIVESEED
Topics: plant breeding, resilience, participatory approaches, benefit sharing, partnership

Resilient seed systems play a central role in sustainable food systems that are robust, dynamic, equitable, diverse, healthy and interconnected. Developing and strengthening these systems offers vital entry points for responding to critical global challenges of climate change, agricultural biodiversity, and sustainable development.

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© Michigan State University
03 Feb, 2021 No Comments
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Week 16 – Policy Brief: Seed Security Response to COVID-19: now and beyond

Authors: Louise Sperling, Niels Louwaars, Orlando de Ponti, Melinda Smale, Julie March, Dieudonne Baributsa and Jacob van Etten; Michigan State University
Topics: smallholder farmers, covid-19, emergency, seed system security assessment

COVID-19 brings new challenges worldwide, including to smallholder farmers and their seed systems. In response, an escalating number of seed projects are being planned to deliver immediate aid or to alter current seed production programs. This Brief aims to steer both the immediate aid and more developmental planning towards wiser, better and more informed practice – and to stop unproductive or even harmful decisions.

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© Michigan State University
27 Jan, 2021 No Comments
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Week 15 – Research paper: Reflection on indicators of access of small producers to quality seeds

Authors: Yenizie Kone, Melinda Smale, Bokary Timbo; IER, Michigan State University, USAID
Topics: quality seeds, smallholder farmers, research, Mali, innovation, governance

This study is the result of a workshop on the identification of indicators of access by smallholder farmers to improved seeds. A total of 34 seed actors, including 4 women, participated in this workshop. The various participants and seed system experts were representatives from the government, research, seed companies, NGOs and farmers’ organizations.

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©IFPRI
12 Jan, 2021 No Comments
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Week 14 – Policy Brief: Gender dynamics in seed systems development

Authors: Kramer, Berber and Galiè, Alessandra; International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Topics: seed sector, gender, smallholder farmers, research

All agricultural production – whether of crops, trees, forages, livestock, or fish – starts with seeds, making seed security vital to food security. Seed security means that producers – smallholder farmers especially –

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©Springer Nature
08 Jan, 2021 No Comments
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Week 13 – Publication: Enhancing Smallholder Farmers’ Access to Seed of Improved Legume Varieties Through Multi-stakeholder Platforms

Authors: Akpo, E., Ojiewo, C.O., Kapran, I., Omoigui, L.O., Diama, A., Varshney, R.K. (Eds.), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
Topics: seed sector, Legumes, Africa, smallholder farmers, partnership

This book shares the experiences of Tropical Legumes III (TLIII) project led by ICRISAT in facilitating access to seed of improved legume varieties to smallholder farmers through innovation platforms. It highlights practices and guiding principles implemented in eight countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

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©Palgrave
04 Jan, 2021 No Comments
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Week 12 – Publication: Globalisation and Seed Sovereignty in sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Clare O’Grady Walshe, International Political Economy Series, Springer Nature Switzerland
Topics: seed sector, food sovereignty, Africa, globalisation

This book is an important milestone for the sector. It studies the relationship between globalisation and seed sovereignty and what this means for sub-Saharan Africa. It identifies the interests and motivations of the different actors in the seed space and points to ways in which national and local actors can help to ensure the exercise of seed sovereignty in the future.

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©ISSD
10 Dec, 2020 No Comments
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Week 11 – Research results: Gender and promoting quality seeds in Africa: A literature review

Author: ISSD, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) & Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Topics: seed sector, research, innovation, gender

Advances in plant breeding and biotechnology have the potential to transform agriculture in Africa, but sustainable and inclusive distribution and marketing of quality seeds remains a significant challenge.

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©WDCI-ISSD
21 Nov, 2020 No Comments
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Week 10 – Methodology: Rapid Seed Assessments and Alerts

Author: AidEnvironment, Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI) & ISSD
Topics: seed sector, transformation, evidence-based decisions

The Rapid Assessments are currently being piloted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the functioning of the seed sector in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Uganda, where WCDI collaborates with national partners in seed programmes.

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© FAO
22 Oct, 2020 No Comments
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Week 9 – Guidelines: Voluntary guide for national seed policy formulation

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Topics: seed sector, governance, policy

This guide explains what seed policies are and how they differ from seed laws; describes the participatory process of seed policy formulation; the nature and layout of seed policy documents; key elements contained in seed policies; and addresses issues involved in their implementation.

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©ICRISAT
11 Oct, 2020 No Comments
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Week 8 – Guidelines: ICRISAT models and lesson learnt on seed systems

Author: International Crop Research Institute for the Arid Tropics
Topics: seed sector, governance, research

ICRISAT aims at building, with partners across crop value chains, inclusive and sustainable seed systems that provide dryland small farmers with sufficient quantity of high quality seeds, at the right time and right place, at reasonable costs.
In this webpage, you will find useful models and lessons learnt on the seed dilemma: How to reach smallholder farmers. Available in English.

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