Regional Seminar "There are no good crops without good seeds"

Live broadcast

Ensuring farmers' access to and use of seeds and planting materials of the most suitable crop varieties, with qaulity and safety, is essential to achieve sustainable production increases and thus improve food security and nutrition, as well as the livelihoods of farming communities.

the abscence of coordination mechanisms, a consolidated regulatory framework, technical assistance, and coordination among the actors in the seed chain weakens the capacity of countries to provide producers with adequate and timely access to quality seeds of adapted and productive varities, as well as to new production technologies. Such coordination mechanisms and regulatory frameworks are also necessary for the conservation of ancestral seeds and traditional productive and cultural practices, a fundamental pillar for the conservation of plant genetic resources, increasing biodiversity and therefore sustainability in production. 

The food price of 2008, coupled with renewed recognition of the importance of continued investment in agriculture for food securirty, economic growth, and climate change preparedness, rekindled donor, and government interest in investing in seed sector development as a critical step in agricultural development.

At the same time, the seed sector has become more complex with a diversity of actors, including public and private sector organizations, agricultural research institutes, large and small companies and community seed production and breeding groups, NGO, and seed producers.

Therefore, promoting an approach that recognizes, strengthens, articulates, and integrates the roles of the various stakeholders in fundamental.

The FAO Office for Latin America and the Caribbean will develop a regional virtual event, which will address issues related to seed policies and the regulatory framework, and the new technologies available to improve the performance of seed lots.

In parallel to the event, there will be activations of projects and dissemination of life stories in Chile, Peru, and Venezuela, which will show the relevance of the rescue, conservation, and recognition of the seeds of the agro-biodiversity heritage, as well as their contribution to food security and income generation of family farmers.