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Seeds

Seeds

Seeds are the primary basis for human sustenance. They are the repository of the genetic potential of crop species and their varieties resulting from the continuous improvement and selection over time.

Crop improvement and the delivery of high quality seeds and planting materials of selected varieties to growers is necessary for ensuring improved crop production and meeting growing environmental challenges. Food security therefore is dependent on the seed security of farming communities.

FAO's role in seeds

FAO plays a lead role in strengthening the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture through policy assistance, technical support and awareness raising.

In the broadest sense, this encompasses the whole range of actions involved in the conservation, diversification, adaptation, improvement and delivery to farmers through seed systems.

FAO, in line with the Second Global Plan of Action priority activities, assists member countries in carrying out the following key activities:

  • Strengthen seed production programmes, including early generation seed multiplication, taking into account comparative advantages of the public and private seed sectors
  • Strengthen national seed associations and support the emergence of local private seed enterprises involved in the production and distribution of seed through improved access to new varieties, capacity-building activities and appropriate credit schemes
  • Strengthen farmers’ capacities in seed multiplication in order to improve quality of seed produced in the informal sector particularly in transition from emergency to development activities and where there is no private sector
  • Promote value-adding activities at local level as a means of diversifying farmers’ revenues and stimulating seed demand
  • Strengthen community seed systems programmes to improve farmers’ knowledge and skills related to varieties and seeds
Seed systems

In many developing countries, farmers do not yet benefit from the advantages of using quality seed due to a combination of factors, including inefficient seed production, distribution and quality assurance systems, as well as the lack of good seed policies and other regulatory instruments.

To address these constraints, FAO works within a range of areas aiming at enhancing seeds in developing countries and encouraging linkages between breeding and seed systems.

Seed production and delivery

There are usually many different groups of stakeholders involved in the production, distribution and marketing of seeds worldwide, including farmers, seed growers, small enterprises, large companies, agricultural research institutes, agricultural input dealers, civil societies and local markets.

FAO promotes the implementation of an integrated approach in improving farmers’ access to good quality seed, encompassing the informal and formal (public and private) seed sectors in the development of national seed supply chains.

Seed security

FAO emergency operations focus on seed security issues to improve farmers’ access to good quality seed of appropriate varieties through seed distribution, seed vouchers and/or seed fairs as may be necessary.

This allows farmers to resume agricultural production after emergencies, thereby minimizing their dependence on food aid.

Key message 1

Advanced technologies, including agricultural biotechnologies and informatics, can help develop better crop varieties more efficiently

Key message 2

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, which are essential for crop varietal development, must be safeguarded and made available for research.

Key message 3

Plant breeding should aim to produce crop varieties that are nutritious, productive and better adapted to farmers' production systems.

Key message 4

Effective seed systems enhance farmers’ timely access to affordable quality seeds and planting materials of preferred crop varieties.

Key facts

  • A 60% increase in food production must be attained by 2050 when the global population growth will result in over 9 billion persons inhabiting the planet
  • Plants account for over 80% of the human diet and nutrition
  • 250,000 plant species of higher plants are described/identified of which 30,000 plant species are edible
  • Of these, 30 plant species represent crops that feed the world, while only 5 cereal crops (rice, wheat, maize, millet and sorghum) provide 60% energy intake of the world population
Stories
Seeds Toolkit

Seeds are the vehicle for delivering the improvements in a crop to the farmer’s field. They are, therefore, a critical input in agricultural production. In order for their full potentials to be realized, seeds must remain alive and healthy and meet several other quality attributes when they are used. Unfortunately, many farmers, especially in developing countries where food insecurity and malnutrition are prevalent, do not have optimal access to sufficient quantities of affordable quality seeds of preferred crop varieties in a timely manner.

This Seeds Toolkit has been developed to support practitioners along the entire seed value chain to acquire the knowledge and skills they need in order to deliver quality seeds and planting materials of well-adapted crop varieties to farmers. The Toolkit is designed primarily for capacity-building activities, especially for small-scale farmers and small and medium-scale entrepreneurs and comprises the following six interrelated modules:

Module 1: Development of small-scale seed enterprises

It provides a stepwise guide for the establishment of commercially viable seed enterprises in farmers’ communities. It covers the critical steps from the business plan to the production of seeds for sale. 

Module 2: Seed processing: principles, equipment and practice

It presents the underlying principles of seed processing, the equipment used and the overall best practices from reception through conditioning to final delivery to customers. This module focuses on the use of affordable small-scale equipment for seed processing and sowing that may also be fabricated locally. 

Module 3: Seed quality assurance

It assists seed practitioners and other stakeholders in meeting the set quality standards for seeds and in implementing procedures for certification. The topics covered include field inspections and seed conditioning, packaging and tagging, storage, sampling/testing, and distribution. 

Module 4: Seed sector regulatory framework

It provides information on the elements of the regulations that govern the seed value chain – from variety registration through quality seed production to distribution and marketing. The materials covered include information about national seed policy, seed law and regulations, their definitions, purpose and interactions. 

Module 5: Seed marketing

It presents the underlying principles for valuing and exchanging seeds. This module describes all the activities that are undertaken in getting seeds from the producers to the end-users or farmers. The reader is provided with guidance on how to conduct relevant research of the market for seeds, develop effective marketing strategies, articulate a marketing plan and manage the associated risks. 

Module 6: Seed storage

It is estimated that 25–33 percent of the world grain crop, including seeds, is lost each year during storage. To avert this obvious drawback to food security and nutrition, this module provides the underlying principles for effective seed storage and the associated practices. The module provides guidance on the preservation of seeds under controlled environmental conditions to maximize seed viability for the long periods that may be required from harvesting through processing to planting. 

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