Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda

Across East Africa, national seed policies and commercial seed enterprises have focused on increasing farmers’ access to modern seed varieties. These new varieties are developed and delivered to farmers via the formal seed system, which is comprised of government and private sector seed breeders, pr...

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Main Authors: Otieno, G.A., Reynolds, Travis W., Karasapan, A., López Noriega, Isabel
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Canadian Center of Science and Education 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89645
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author Otieno, G.A.
Reynolds, Travis W.
Karasapan, A.
López Noriega, Isabel
author_browse Karasapan, A.
López Noriega, Isabel
Otieno, G.A.
Reynolds, Travis W.
author_facet Otieno, G.A.
Reynolds, Travis W.
Karasapan, A.
López Noriega, Isabel
author_sort Otieno, G.A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Across East Africa, national seed policies and commercial seed enterprises have focused on increasing farmers’ access to modern seed varieties. These new varieties are developed and delivered to farmers via the formal seed system, which is comprised of government and private sector seed breeders, processors, and vendors. However, the formal seed system only provides a small share (<20%) of smallholders’ seed in the region. Most farmers source seed from informal seed systems, including own-saved seed, exchanges with neighbors, and local seed markets. At the local level, informal seed systems are preferred by farmers because of proximity and local varietal preferences (e.g., crop variety tastes and suitability for local environmental conditions). At the national and regional levels, the conservation and use of local crop varieties through informal systems has also provided a wealth of crop genetic diversity increasingly recognized as critical for climate change adaptation. To evaluate how policies in East Africa impact seed systems we systematically code 117 provisions in 21 national seed policies in Ethiopia (n=11) and Uganda (n=10), highlighting the implications of current and proposed policies for the availability and accessibility of: (i) improved seed; (ii) quality-controlled seed; and (iii) genetically diverse local seed in both the formal and informal seed systems in each country.
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spelling CGSpace896452025-11-12T05:47:23Z Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda Otieno, G.A. Reynolds, Travis W. Karasapan, A. López Noriega, Isabel policies seed systems food security biodiversity Across East Africa, national seed policies and commercial seed enterprises have focused on increasing farmers’ access to modern seed varieties. These new varieties are developed and delivered to farmers via the formal seed system, which is comprised of government and private sector seed breeders, processors, and vendors. However, the formal seed system only provides a small share (<20%) of smallholders’ seed in the region. Most farmers source seed from informal seed systems, including own-saved seed, exchanges with neighbors, and local seed markets. At the local level, informal seed systems are preferred by farmers because of proximity and local varietal preferences (e.g., crop variety tastes and suitability for local environmental conditions). At the national and regional levels, the conservation and use of local crop varieties through informal systems has also provided a wealth of crop genetic diversity increasingly recognized as critical for climate change adaptation. To evaluate how policies in East Africa impact seed systems we systematically code 117 provisions in 21 national seed policies in Ethiopia (n=11) and Uganda (n=10), highlighting the implications of current and proposed policies for the availability and accessibility of: (i) improved seed; (ii) quality-controlled seed; and (iii) genetically diverse local seed in both the formal and informal seed systems in each country. 2017 2017-12-06T12:17:52Z 2017-12-06T12:17:52Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89645 en Open Access application/pdf Canadian Center of Science and Education Otieno, G.A.; Reynolds, T.W.; Karasapan, A.; Lopez Noriega, I. (2017) Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda. Sustainable Agriculture Research 6 (4) p. 12-30 ISSN 1927-050X
spellingShingle policies
seed
systems
food security
biodiversity
Otieno, G.A.
Reynolds, Travis W.
Karasapan, A.
López Noriega, Isabel
Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda
title Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda
title_full Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda
title_fullStr Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda
title_full_unstemmed Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda
title_short Implications of seed policies for on-farm agro-biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda
title_sort implications of seed policies for on farm agro biodiversity in ethiopia and uganda
topic policies
seed
systems
food security
biodiversity
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89645
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AT karasapana implicationsofseedpoliciesforonfarmagrobiodiversityinethiopiaanduganda
AT lopeznoriegaisabel implicationsofseedpoliciesforonfarmagrobiodiversityinethiopiaanduganda