Theme: Policy Environment
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Farmer-Led Seed Production: Community Seed Banks Enter the National Seed Market
Ronnie Vernooy, Jai Rana, Gloria Otieno, Hilton Mbozi and Pitambar Shrestha Abstract: Smallholder farmers around the world obtain their seed from various sources, which can vary over time. In some countries, smallholder farmers are gaining ground as local seed producers and sellers. This study focuses on the seed production and marketing operations, achievements, and challenges of […]
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SD=HS in Zambia newsletter | June 2022
Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security newsletter Campaign URL Copy Twitter 0 tweets Subscribe Past Issues RSS Translate English العربية Afrikaans беларуская мова български català 中文（简体） 中文（繁體） Hrvatski Česky Dansk eesti keel Nederlands Suomi Français Deutsch Ελληνική हिन्दी Magyar Gaeilge Indonesia íslenska Italiano 日本語 ភាសាខ្មែរ 한국어 македонски јазик بهاس ملايو Malti Norsk Polski Português Português – Portugal Română Русский Español Kiswahili Svenska […]
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Farmers Seed Enterprises successfully pass first inspection for seed production
By Joseph Mwitumwa, Seed Production and Marketing Officer – CTDT Zambia CTDT Zambia supported a total of 88 smallholder farmers drawn from six FFS with trainings in seed production and marketing. This is to strengthen farmers capacities in production, facilitate access to quality seed and provide them with options to improve their livelihoods. Out of the […]
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Institutionalizing participatory plant breeding: a solution for farmers rights
By Diana Mapulanga, Communications Officer, and Edwin Abwino, Programme Assistant – CTDT Zambia Through the SD=HS project, CTDT is keenly working to foster collaborations between the breeders and smallholder farmers in the development of new crop varieties through Participatory Plant breeding using the farmer field school (FFS) approach. This is seen as a mechanism that […]
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Our current system excludes farmers’ varieties: Lessons from the farmer seed enterprises of the SD=HS project
By Juliet Nangamba, Programs Manager CTDT-Zambia Farmer Field Schools (FFS) in Shibuyunji and Chikankata district were established as FFS to participate in managing diversity based on participatory plant breeding. In 2021, some FFS were identified as successful and transitioned to participate in the farmer seed enterprise component of the SD=HS program. The learning and results […]
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Oxfam Novib’s comments on the Crops to End Hunger White Paper on Economically Sustainable Seed Systems
Recently the CGIAR’s Crops to End Hunger initiative released a White Paper on Economically Sustainable Seed Systems. Several participants who joined the Global Crop Workshop asked Oxfam Novib to share its views. The paper, commissioned by AGRA and the Syngenta Foundation is intended to guide future CGIAR investments in seed delivery, but fails consistently to […]
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SD=HS Annual Report 2020
As part of Oxfam Novib’s SeedsGROW international program, Sowing Diversity = Harvesting Security, or SD=HS, is a joint effort of the world’s leading civil society organizations with a firm track record in the field of plant genetic resources to empower smallholder farmers. Our mission is to support indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers – men, women […]
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Starting with Farmer Field Schools
Starter Kit: A short introduction to Farmer Field Schools in the SD=HS programme Prepared by Bert Visser, in collaboration with Anita Dohar, Hilton Mbozi and Frederik van Oudenhoven, this is a quick introduction to the three Field Guides developed by the SD=HS programme, i.e. the Field Guides on Participatory Plant Breeding, on Nutrition and Local […]
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Oxfam and No Patents on Seeds! demand a stop to the patenting of plants: 180.000 signatures handed over to the European Patent Office
Plants and animals derived from conventional breeding are no longer patentable. This was the verdict published by the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) in May 2020. A new report of Oxfam’s partner No Patents on Seeds! shows, however, that such patents are still being applied for due to the legal […]
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SD=HS initiates collaboration with Catholic Relief Services
Today, SD=HS started working together with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to investigate the organisational, legal and economic aspects of seed production and marketing by smallholder farmers across countries and systems The purpose of this collaboration agreement is to compare the achievements of the seed clubs in the Mekong Delta with those of farmers producing under […]
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European Patent Office: Plants and animals obtained through classical breeding are not patentable
May 14, 2020 Plants and animals derived from conventional breeding are no longer patentable. This is the verdict published today by the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO). Oxfam endorses the ruling but at the same time demands further decisions to close existing loopholes. The judgment will take effect retroactively from […]
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Global Legal Constraints: How the International System Fails Small-Scale Farmers and Agricultural Biodiversity, Harming Human and Planetary Health, and What to Do About It
This publication explores the concerns driving relevant international instruments with the goal of increasing the understanding needed to achieve coherence and mutual support. Susan H. Bragdon notes the central role inequity plays both amongst the treaties and instruments discussed in this paper as well as in the broader international legal landscape that includes human rights […]
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Options to interpret the notion of private and non-commercial use as included in Article 15.1.i of the UPOV 1991 Convention. Final Report
This page contains the project reports and all meeting reports of the project ‘Options to interpret the notion of private and non-commercial use as included in Article 15.1.i of the UPOV 1991 Convention’. This project was undertaken by Szonja Csörgõ and Catherine Langat from Euroseeds, Judith de Roos from Plantum and Bram de Jonge from […]
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“Registration of Farmers’ Varieties”: Final report of the workshop
The registration of farmers’ varieties in national and regional seed catalogues – as objects of seed regulation – has been the subject of considerable debate in recent years, at local, national and international levels. Farmers have contributed immensely to the development, management and conservation of a wide range of crop varieties, but national seed regulations […]
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Status of Patenting Plants in the Global South. Position Paper and Research Report
Over the last few decades, the number of patents on plants and plant parts has greatly increased in various parts of the world. This has triggered social debate about possible negative consequences for the breeding sector, farmers and society. Despite the urgency of these questions, most research and literature has focused exclusively on developed countries […]
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Reinvigorating the Public Sector: The Case of Food Security, Small-scale Farmers, Trade and Intellectual Property Rules
Susan Bragdon Abstract: The world increasingly looks to market-based solutions to meet local and global food security needs. This trend is accompanied by a weakening of the public sector. These two trends have an enormous influence on the creation of a modern food system that is harming the health of people and planet. Individually and […]
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The impact of national seed laws on the functioning of small-scale seed systems. A country case study
This study is one of the stock-taking activities undertaken under the SD=HS program, focusing on policies relevant to the functioning of small-scale farming systems. It aims to guide further work of the SD=HS program by assessing national seed laws in the eight countries covered by the program, to inform recommendations to ensure these laws better […]
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A summary of the impact of national seed legislation on the functioning of small-scale farmers’ seed systems in Peru, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Policy paper
National seed laws are important for the functioning of farmers’ seeds systems. This study was conducted under the IFAD-Oxfam program: “Putting Lessons into Practice: Scaling up Peoples Biodiversity Management for Food Security.
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From COVID-19 to biodiversity loss: all global challenges are connected
Susan Bragdon The world is not on track to achieve the Agenda 2030 vision for sustainable development that is human rights based, gender sensitive and planet centered. In fact, with less than a decade to go, we are moving backward on many of the interlinked global challenges identified by the Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related […]