Official Newsletter of the WANA Seed Network
No. 32,
January 2007
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In this section we invite national seed programs, projects, universities, and regional and international organizations to provide news about their seed-related activities.
News from Afghanistan
Alternative Livelihoods Program, Eastern Afghanistan
Under the Eastern Afghanistan Alternative Livelihoods Program (ALP-E), USAID has provided funding through Development Alternatives Inc to improve Afghan agriculture and increase the incomes of rural households. Work focuses on three components: adaptive research, technology transfer through demonstration, and village-based seed enterprises. Project implementation has begun, particularly on adaptive research and demonstrations since late 2005 in three target provinces of Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar. The seed component of the project aims at establishing 12 new village-based seed enterprises (VBSEs) in these provinces over the next two years. It will also support five existing VBSEs in Nangarhar, established under the USAID-funded RAMP project. The project has already established six new VBSEs in the three provinces, which have begun wheat seed multiplication. The VBSEs are responsible for seed production and marketing within and beyond their communities. At the end of the project each VBSE will produce and commercialize quality seed in a sustainable manner. Javed Rizvi, ICARDA-Kabul, P.O. Box-1355, Kabul, Afghanistan, E-mail j.rizvi@cgiar.org
FAO and Ministry of Agriculture launch new seed project
FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MAI) have concluded an agreement with the European Commission (EC) for funding the Afghanistan Variety and Seed Industry Development project for a period of five years up to December 2011. The project will be implemented as part of the five-year Master Plan for Agriculture and Food of the MAI. It builds on an earlier four-year seed project, also funded by the EC and implemented by FAO. The first phase has enhanced national capacity in seed production by implementing partners, mainly in the public and NGO sectors; and has distributed quality seeds of new varieties nationwide.
The overall objective of the second phase is 'contributing to higher productivity of major staple crops in Afghanistan and to higher food security, particularly in rural areas'. The immediate objective is 'improving access of farmers to quality certified seeds and planting material of major staple crops (wheat, rice, vegetables, etc.)'. Outputs are expected in four key areas: (i) strengthening the Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan to effectively develop new varieties and produce breeder seed; (ii) enhancing the capacity of the Improved Seed Enterprise to produce foundation seed of newly released and popular existing varieties; (iii) establishing a National Seed Board with affiliated bodies (Variety Release Committee, Seed Certification Agency and Seed/Plant Health Inspectorate) for coordinating seed industry functions; (iv) putting in place an appropriate system for commercializing certified seed to farmers.
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| H.E Obaidullah Ramin, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation (third from right) during the signing ceremony |
It is expected that at the end of the project there will be clear evidence that:
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Policy and regulatory reforms have helped strengthen an institutional environment conducive for sustainable release of new varieties by public research |
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The capacity of public and private sectors is strengthened to produce breeder and foundation seed on a sustainable basis |
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Private enterprises will continue to participate effectively in certified seed production and marketing |
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The seed industry is well regulated, ensuring that producers, sellers and buyers of seed are aware of the seed policy and seed law and abide by them |
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An increasing proportion of farmers are willing to pay commercial prices for quality seed |
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Capacity building of government counterpart staff has resulted in a cadre of capable and experienced seed professionals in the Ministry of Agriculture. |
Potato seed production in Afghanistan
Over 3000 tons of healthy potato seed have been produced in Afghanistan: significant progress towards an efficient and sustainable seed production and marketing system.
Potato is the third most important food crop in Afghanistan, but good quality seed is scarce due to absence of formal sector and an ineffective informal sector limiting the potential to increase area and productivity and improve quality of the produce.
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The CIP-ICARDA program aims to strengthen potato seed production in Afghanistan |
The International Potato Center (CIP) and ICARDA, with funding from RAMP (Rebuilding Agricultural Markets Program), have recently completed a project in Afghanistan to produce good quality potato seed for resource-poor farmers by developing in-country seed production programs. An integrated approach was used to achieve self-sufficiency in seed potato and to ensure its availability throughout the potato producing regions of Afghanistan.
Using a 'flush out' approach, CIP initially created a sustainable seed system in Nangarhar province. Potato seed imported from India and Pakistan was planted by 25 CIP-trained farmers. The seed produced was used in the RAMP-funded project, along with fresh supplies from the region, to replace the existing unhealthy material farmers were using. Since 2002, project workers have been disseminating improved location-specific technologies for seed production, multiplication and maintenance at farm level, and training staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and farmers to use these technologies. Linkages are being developed to sell good quality seed in zones that do not produce their own seed. This approach is expected to increase potato production and farm income substantially by enhanced productivity of quality potatoes.
Thirty-five country stores, each with a capacity of 20 tons, were built to improve seed potato storage. Through various training activities, over 20,000 farmers, extension workers, village elders, and staff of other agencies have directly benefited from the project. Three radio programs on potato production and marketing were produced in collaboration with ICARDA's Communications Unit and broadcasted through 50 local radio stations reaching over 15 million listeners. CIP and ICARDA are jointly working to achieve a targeted production of 54,000 tons of potato seed by 2009 in Afghanistan. Source: www.cipotato.org/news_more.asp?cod=27
Tailor Made Training Program Launched in Ethiopia
The Ethiopian Seed Enterprise (ESE), Wageningen International (WI) and ICARDA have launched the 'Tailor Made Training Program (TMTP) on Improvement of farmer-based seed production scheme and revitalizing informal seed supply in Ethiopia'. The TMTP is a one-year training project supported with funding from NUFFIC (Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education). It aims to strengthen the capacity of the ESE, other federal institutions, and agencies from four regional states: Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) and Tigray. The participating institutions also include Regional Agricultural Research Institutes, Regional Bureaus of Agriculture and Rural Development, and NGOs implementing farmer-based seed production and marketing schemes.
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Participants of the first TMTP course in Ethiopia |
The TMTP program involves seven major components. Components 1 and 2 are the two halves of the first training course, held in October 2006 in Awassa. Components 3 and 4 will help synthesize the lessons learnt; diagnose and assess seed problems in each region; develop, refine and agree upon appropriate action plans for all four regions. This phase will be completed in March 2007, with inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. This will allow the teams to adjust their workplans to the specific context in their respective regions, and based on problems identified, formulate recommendations to support farmer seed production and informal seed supply.
Components 5 and 6 are two thematic workshops to be held in June 2007, on crop genetic diversity issues and plant genetic resource policies, as they relate to informal seed supply. Finally, Component 7 is a regional workshop in August 2007, in which participants from Ethiopia and other East African countries will discuss the outcomes of previous components and share experiences on seed production schemes.
The first training course, 16-28 October 2006, was conducted in Hawassa University, Awassa. The program comprised two one-week modules. The first module introduced the theory and concepts of participatory approaches, participatory plant breeding, genetic diversity and informal seed supply. The second component focused on farmer-based seed production and institutional support required, technical aspects of farmer-based seed production, and small-scale seed enterprise development. Both modules included field work in participatory seed system analysis and designing market-oriented local seed production and marketing enterprises.
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| Training participants work with communities in participatory seed system analysis (left) and seed demand survey (right) | |
There were 27 participants, four each from Amhara and Tigray, five from SNNPR, eight from Oromia and six from federal institutions, representing a wide range of institutions. Resource persons from WI, ICARDA, CIMMYT, ESE, SARI and Mekelle University led the training program. Abdurahman Beshir, Ethiopian Seed Enterprise, P. O. Box 5466, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, E-mail abdubeza@yahoo. com
International Training Course on Plant Genetic Resources and Seeds in Iran
ICARDA and Wageningen International (WI), in collaboration with the Generation Challenge Program (GCP) and the Agricultural Research and Education Organization (AREO), conducted a regional training course on 'Plant genetic resources and seeds: policies, conservation and use'. It was held during 11-29 November 2006 in Karaj, Iran. The course was organized with the Seed and Plant Certification and Registration Institute (SPCRI) and Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII). The training program consisted of three one-week modules addressing three key areas: (i) support of local seed supply and small-scale seed enterprises, 11-15 Nov; (ii) genetic resources, rights and institutional policies, 18-22 Nov; (iii) ex-situ and in-situ conservation strategies, 25-29 November. Participants could attend any or all the components, but each component was designed to be independent and comprehensive.
The first module focused on alternative seed delivery mechanisms: establishing small-scale seed enterprises involving farmers and communities, use of decentralized seed production and marketing to improve seed supplies in less favorable or isolated areas. The workshop concluded with the design of plans to support local seed production or small-scale seed enterprise development.
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| Participants of the regional training course in Karaj, Iran |
The second module focused on how institutions deal with international agreements such as CBD, ITPGRFA and TRIPS; and the practical application of these policies at the institutional level in issues related to biotechnology, plant breeding and conservation. The workshop was structured around a GCP distance learning module on international PGR policies. The workshop concluded with the design of institutional policies on inbound and outbound intellectual property and genetic resources.
The third module discussed the theoretical background and technical and strategic tools available for ex situ and in situ conservation programs to combat the loss of crop genetic diversity. The workshop concluded with the design of management plans for complementary conservation strategies.
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Participants during class work on participatory seed system analysis |
The training program targets countries in the CWANA region. The participants were mainly from the NARS and national seed programs, while some were from outside CWANA. In all, there were 45 participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Iran (DARI, SPII, SPCRI, NGOs), India, Morocco, Oman, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda; representing, national research agencies, genebanks and seed programs; universities; and NGOs. Samad Mobasser, SPCRI, P.O. Box 31535-1516 Karaj, Iran, E-mail: sa_mobasser@ yahoo.com
Private Sector Wheat Seed Production in Pakistan
Government policy in Pakistan strives towards the delivery of high quality seeds of improved varieties at affordable prices, through the public and private sectors. It also encourages transparent market practices to ensure that seed producers get a fair return on their investment.
In the 2005/06 rainy season, an estimated 999,520 tons of wheat seed was required. The public and private sector supplied 166,541 tons (17%) of seed (Table 1). Private seed companies are playing a major role in wheat seed supply in all four provinces, distributing 126,633 tons (76%) of wheat seed supplied during the season. This indicates that the right enabling policy environment is an incentive for the private sector to produce and supply seed of self-pollinated crops such as wheat, which are traditionally considered high-volume and low profit crops.
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Table 1. Wheat seed demand
and supply in Pakistan
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| Province |
Potential demand ('000 t)
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Quantity distributed (t)
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Total supply ('000 t)
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Private
sector (%) |
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Public
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Private
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| Punjab |
762
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31
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85
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116
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73
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| Sindh |
106
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1.6
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35
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36
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96
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| NWFP |
92
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6.1
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6
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12
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49
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| Balochistan |
40
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0.6
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0.7
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1
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56
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| Total |
1000
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39.3
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126.7
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165
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76
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Since the 1990s, Pakistan enacted a national seed policy and encouraged private sector participation in the seed industry. At the end of 2005, there were 586 large, medium and small national seed companies operating in the country. About 60% of these companies produce volumes ranging from 2 to 2000 tons of various seed crops. In addition, there are four multinational companies: Monsanto Pakistan Agritech, Syngenta Pakistan, ICI Pakistan Seeds, and Pioneer Pakistan Seeds. The multinationals mostly import and distribute seed of various hybrid crops (maize, sorghum, sunflower), although some produce hybrid maize seed and small quantities of cotton seed locally. Source: Seed News, vol. 8 no. 2, July-December 2006
Workshop on Plant Variety Protection (PVP) in Tajikstan
The 2nd West and Central Asia Regional Workshop on Plant Variety Protection was organized by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, with financial assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. The workshop was held from 15-18 September 2006 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It aimed to create awareness on plant variety protection and its role in seed sector development. The workshop covered various topics including the UPOV Convention, PVP benefits and their organization, technical aspects of DUS testing, and experiences from selected countries.
The main resource persons for the workshop were Rolf J?rdens and Makoto Tabata from the UPOV Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, Mrs Beate Rücker (Bundessortenamt, Germany), Kiyofumi Nakamura, (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan), Yuri A. Rogovskiy (State Commission for Selection Achievements, Russian Federation), Ms Nuria Urqu?a Fernandez (FAO), Zewdie Bishaw, (ICARDA) and Ayhan Elçi (Turkish Seed Industry Association) made presentations.
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Participants of the PVP workshop with H.E. Dr Voris Madaminov, Minister of Agriculture (fourth from left) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
There were 36 participants from the host country, representing agricultural research, universities, seed projects, public and private seed sector, and various departments of the Ministry of Agriculture. Another 14 participants came from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. The participants made presentations on the status of PVP in their respective countries. Among the participating countries from WCA region Azerbaijan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are full-fledged members of UPOV. Makoto Tabata, Senior Counsellor, UPOV, 34, Chemin des Colombettes, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland, E-mail makoto.tabata@upov.int
ICARDA-FAO Seed Course in Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan, new seed processing machines and laboratory seed testing equipment have been imported through the FAO TCP Project. However, proper operation and management of seed processing and laboratory facilities would be important to maximize the efficiency of cleaning operations, minimize operational costs and maintain seed quality and health standards before marketing. The CGIAR Project Facilitation Unit for Central Asia and the Caucasus and the Seed Unit of ICARDA organized the course, held during 4-14 September 2006 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The course comprised three modules: (i) General seed technology and management of seed processing; (ii) Quality assurance in seed testing; (iii) Seed health testing. Participants stayed together for the first module and then split into two groups for the second and third modules for an in-depth practical training at the Sate Seed Quality Control and Certification Center and Uzbekistan Quarantine Center.
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Participants of the training course in Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
There were 21 participants from five institutions: Uzbek Quarantine Center, Uzbek Research Institute for Irrigated Cereal and Legume Crops, Uzbek Rice Research Institute, Tashkent State Agrarian University, and Samarkand Agricultural Institute. Aziz Nurbekov, ICARDA-PFU, P.O. Box 4546, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, E-mail a.nurbekov@cgiar.org
New Lentil Varieties Released in South Asia
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan produce about half the world's lentil. Given that lentil is a major source of dietary protein in these countries, the national research programs are paying serious attention to increase productivity and nutritional quality of the crop.
India
The Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan in Almora, India, recently released 'VL Masoor-507' lentil variety for the North Hills Zone of the country. The variety was developed through single plant selection from an ICARDA breeding line ILL 7978. It is semi-erect, and matures in 140 days like the local varieties, but outyields them by 37%. It has a yield potential of 2.5 t/ha, and has wide adaptability, high wilt resistance and large seeds - traits that consumers like. The variety is spreading fast among farmers in hilly areas of northern India.
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Lentil variety VL Masoor 507 in Almora, India |
Pakistan
The Nuclear Institute of Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, Pakistan, recently released 'Masoor-2006' lentil variety, produced by irradiation with ?-rays of an ICARDA line ILL 2580. Farmers like the variety because of its high yield potential (>2 t/ha), large seeds, and improved disease resistance. Large-scale seed multiplication is underway in Punjab province. Source: The Week at ICARADA No. 940, 28 Sep 2006.