Official Newsletter of the WANA Seed Network
No. 36, January 2009
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News, views and suggestions on the seed industry are included in this section. It is a forum for discussion among seed sector professionals
The Role of Seed Association in Seed Industry from National to Global Levels: International Seed Federation
What is ISF?
The International Seed Federation (ISF) is a non-profit and non-governmental organization whose members are national seed associations and seed companies. With members spread over 70 developed and developing countries on all continents, ISF represents the vast majority of the world's seed trade and private plant breeding community. ISF members are responsible for 96% of the international seed trade. It serves as an international forum to discuss issues of interest on the global seed industry. The ISF serves and balances the interests of its members by bringing together and representing, at a global level, the mainstream of the seed industry involved in plant breeding and commercializing seed, and also through its regular dialogue with public and private institutions that have an impact on international seed trade.
ISF pursues its objectives in non-political and scientific manner primarily based on adoption of common positions on strategic issues through healthy debate, mutual respect, and consensus amongst its members. It also works to facilitate access to plant genetic resources and related technology and enhance the international movement of seed and the contribution of seed industry to meeting the growing global needs for food, feed, fiber, fuel, industrial, ornamental and amenity crop applications.
ISF promotes strong cooperation with national and regional seed associations and strives to form strong and professional relationship with organizations that are responsible for international treaties, conventions and agreements that impact the seed industry. By enhancing the seed industry in different countries, it strengthens market linkages and improves access to agricultural inputs such as seed of adapted varieties. ISF actively engages in policy dialogues with stakeholders (such as FAO, WIPO, OECD, ISTA, UPOV, IPPC and CBD) to ensure that the concerns of the private sector are addressed.
ISF is structured into three crop sections (Field Crops; Forage and Turf; Vegetables and Ornamentals) and three standing committees (Breeders Committee; Phytosanitary Committee; Trade and Arbitration Rules Committee) and special groups on specific issues. Each Section, Committee or Group meets at least once a year.
The Board of Directors, elected every two years by the General Assembly, ensures that all decisions made by the Sections conform to ISF's general policy. The Executive Committee is responsible to oversee the operation of the Secretariat.
Global forum for commerce and dialogue
Seed is the basis for agriculture and the international seed industry plays an increasingly vital role in the global pursuit to ensure sustained development and well being of our planet and its people in an environmentally responsible manner. Apart from its traditional role of being a major contributor to sustainable food and feed production, the global seed industry is now also at the forefront of the latest technological advances in developing alternative uses for plants such as renewable sources of bio-energy, bio-materials, and plants that will provide food and feed of increased nutritional and even medicinal value. These additional demands will have to be carefully balanced against the need to continue to improve the quantity and quality of food and feed production on an ongoing basis.
The industry is highly competitive, ensuring an efficient and responsible global seed trade that offers farmers a continuous supply of new high-yielding varieties suitable for different environmental conditions, and for producing crops and products that will continue to meet changing consumer demands and standards. To cope effectively with the challenges brought about by increased globalization such as environmental and health issues, regional trade groupings, new technological advances as well as farmer and consumer sophistication, the global seed industry needs a representative forum to research and discuss important issues, adopt positions, and represent and promote its interests at a global level. The ISF provides such a forum. To that effect, ISF organizes an annual congress, which often brings together up to 1500 seedsmen to:
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Exchange information on recent developments in plant breeding and seed trade |
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Identify mutual concerns, enable strategic thinking and discussion to adopt common positions |
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Meet customers and suppliers to negotiate business contracts. |
Together with the national seed associations ISF plan to verify at regular intervals if the congress fulfils the needs of those attending.
Vision of ISF
The vision of ISF is to be the principal organization representing the interests of the world seed industry at the global level.
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ISF can best achieve this vision by effectively harnessing and utilizing the influence and resources of its principal members, the national seed associations (NSAs), as well as the regional seed associations (RSA's). Currently the Presidents of the RSAs are invited as observers to the meetings of the ISF Board of Directors, and the Secretaries of the RSAs are invited as observers to attend the meetings of the national secretaries. |
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Effective communication by all actors (NSA's, RSA's and ISF secretariat) is crucial in performing the relevant tasks. It is desirable that each grouping performs those tasks which cannot be performed more effectively at a more immediate or local level. |
Interaction with national and regional seed associations
The strength of national and regional seed associations in promoting free movement of seed is considered as essential but the key role of ISF is in coordinating these activities. ISF member organizations can and should be the bridge to enhance their country's participation in regional and global organizations that govern seed movement between countries at regional and global levels. For example, ISF will encourage NSAs to interact with their governments to introduce PVP and encourage them to make it operational. Obviously, this can only be done in close liaison with national associations. For example, collection of statistics on national, regional and global seed trade is considered of vital importance. ISF is working closely with NSAs and RSAs to collect and verify these statistics.
ISF interacts with specific NSAs and obtain their collaboration in outreach efforts at national and regional levels to support the agreed industry position at a global level tapping into already available resources. The ISF will continue to collaborate with other national and regional associations which are already engaged in activities where NSAs considered important for the seed industry and have been identified as requiring strengthening.
Conclusion
The provision of sufficient good quality food depends in large part on a well established seed industry with well established regulations for an efficient and continuous flow of high quality seeds and varieties to those who need it the most. An active and efficient seed association is of vital importance to ensure that the seed industry's voice is heard in a national, regional and international quest for sustainable agricultural development.
Marcel Bruins, Secretary General, ISF, Geneva, Switzerland; E-mail: m.bruins@seedworld.com
AGRA's Program for Africa's Seed Systems
The Program for Africa's Seed Systems (PASS) is a new venture launched by the Agricultural Green Revolution for Africa's (AGRA). Its mission is to increase income, improve food security, and reduce poverty by promoting the development of a seed system that delivers new crop technology to farmers in an efficient, equitable, and sustainable manner. PASS prioritizes getting funds to key individuals and agencies working directly with Africa's farmers on developing new crop varieties, producing new seeds, and developing new delivery systems for getting critical inputs to smallholder farmers. PASS is funding the development of new varieties of beans, cassava, cowpea, maize, rice, sweet potato and sorghum in 12 countries. The crop development program uses conventional breeding, with close collaboration between breeders and farmers, and pays special attention to conserving and utilizing Africa's crop biodiversity.
Working with front-line practitioners across a 13-country program area, in 2007, PASS developed 43 grants totaling US$36,801,778, all aimed at improving crop yields under Africa's challenging farming conditions. Grants made by PASS in 2007 will train 80 new African plant breeders to the PhD level and increase yields of eight important food crops in six African countries. Already, PASS funded activities have produced over 400 t of improved seed and trained over 400 village-level distributors of seed in professional business practices. Equally important, PASS activities have communicated an exciting message to a generation of agriculturalists working in both the public and private sectors in Africa that now is the time to bring forward new ideas for increasing food production. PASS works along a value chain that begins with newly trained African crop scientists, continues with funds for breeding new crop varieties, and achieves impact in the lives of farmers through a vigorous campaign of seed production and other agricultural input supply at village level. PASS makes carefully targeted grants along a "value chain" of interdependent activities and includes:
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Education for African Crop Improvement targets funds for education and training, especially MSc and PhD fellowships for plant breeders and other crop scientists; |
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Fund for Improvement and Adoption of African Crops makes targeted grants to individual breeders and their support teams to develop and popularize improved crop varieties of Africa's major food crops; |
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Seed Production for Africa provides grant support and equity investments for the emergence of private, African seed companies and other seed dissemination activities; |
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Agro-dealer Development Program provides training and credit to establish and support the growth of private, village-based agro-dealers who are a primary conduit of seeds, agricultural inputs and knowledge directly to smallholder farmers to increase their productivity and incomes. It builds and develops networks of certified agro-dealers to enhance the quality, volume and range of seeds sold. This will result in a significant increase in adoption of improved crop varieties. |
India Commercialize World's First Pigeon Pea Hybrid
Pigeon pea (red gram) is an important pulse crop, grown on about 3.5 million ha in India alone, where it it's the main ingredient in the staple dal. The crop is suitable for rainfed agriculture because it is drought tolerant, needs minimum inputs and produces reasonable yields under unfavorable agro-ecological conditions. In the past 50 years, pigeon pea productivity has not increased in spite of releasing several new varieties.
ICRISAT used innovative breeding technology to develop commercial hybrids-the first such attempt in any food legume-working with Indian Council of Agricultural Research, state agricultural universities, state seed corporations, and private seed companies. After 25 years of research, the world's first cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) based pigeon pea hybrid (ICPH 2671) was developed by ICRISAT in 2005, and has been named 'Pushkal' by Pravardhan Seeds. The hybrid is suitable for commercial cultivation in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
In India, the bulk of food proteins are
derived from pulse crops that are generally grown under low-input and risk-prone marginal environments with low and unstable yields. The Green Revolution of 1970s ignored legumes that are a major source of protein in the developing world.
The CMS based hybrid seed technology is ready for takeoff with all its major components in place. The major responsibility, now, is to take this research product to farmers in rainfed areas. Considering the high yield potential of the technology, it is expected that farmers with both small and large holdings will adopt the hybrids. Since piegopn pea is grown by resource poor small-scale farmers, it will be important to keep the seed cost within the reach.
Based on results from three years and 21 test locations, ICRISAT scientists believe that hybrid technology in pigeon pea has become a profound success. Experimental hybrids have recorded 20-150% yield advantage over the best checks. This high yielding, disease resistant (wilt and sterility mosaic) hybrid gives about 30-40% yield advantage over the popular variety Maruti. Seed production of the parental lines of Pushkal has been successful.
The new technology promises to break the yield barrier, ideal for bringing the next quantum jump in yield. Eminent agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan had commented that, 'hybrid pigeon pea technology is like dwarfing genes in wheat and rice and this will create a second green revolution' in India. This breakthrough is the result of ICRISAT's strong public-private partnership.
Source: ICRISAT Press Release, 16 July 2008
Seed Sales of Dedicated Energy Crops
Ceres, Inc. announced that it has begun booking switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum seed under its Blade Energy Crops label. The highly anticipated launch marks the first seed sales of non-food, low-carbon crops developed specifically as raw materials for biofuels and biopower. The company simultaneously launched a Blade website to support direct-to-farm sales. The company reported that the first Blade products build on the inherent advantages of these highly efficient crops, offering double-digit biomass yield gains in many cases -- a remarkable level of improvement by crop science standards. High yields are needed since widely dispersed sources of biomass are cost-prohibitive to harvest and transport.
Switchgrass and high-biomass sorghum can provide new options for growers, especially on underperforming acres. The bulk of Blade seed to be sold to bioenergy companies this first year, the company has set aside seed for growers interested in gaining experience with these crops as the market for biomass develops.
With mandates for 21 billion gallons of biofuels from non-corn sources and renewed interest in cleaner-burning alternatives to coal, energy crops could offer farm operators a sizeable opportunity. There are various state and federal initiatives to support growers, including the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which is expected to be introduced soon by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Many bioenergy producers are looking for a mix of crops to provide flexibility from year to year and mitigate risk. With a perennial and an annual crop in product portfolio, a broad range of geographies and production systems can be supported. Blade seed products include two improved switchgrass seed varieties (EG 1101 and EG 1102) and two new high-biomass sorghum hybrids (ES 5200 and ES 5201).
EG 1101 is a lowland-type switchgrass bred for greater biomass yields and better establishment. It has high biofuel conversion potential, and shown superior conversion characteristics for biochemical and thermochemical processes. It may work well in a 2-cut system in high rainfall areas. A similar cultivar, EG 1102, is adapted farther north than EG 1101. Several switchgrass varieties suited to mid and northern latitudes are also available from Blade.
ES 5200 and ES 5201 are two high-biomass sorghum hybrids that offer high yield potential in single-cut harvest systems. Since the plants generally do not produce grain heads until very late in the season, if at all, they continue growing - and producing more biomass - until early autumn or the first killing freeze. Blade will also have sorghum hybrids suited to multi-cut harvest systems.
Blade will also be the first major brand to package sorghum seed by count rather than weight- an industry practice that has been well received in corn and soy. This allows producers to purchase only the amount of seed they need rather than having to overbuy to cover variations in seeds per pound. Likewise, Blade switchgrass seed will be sold as pounds of pure live seed (PLS) - rather than bulk weight - so customers will purchase only viable seeds. More information can be found at http://www.BladeEnergy.com.
Ceres, Inc. is a leading developer and marketer of high-yielding energy crops that can be planted as raw materials for cellulosic ethanol production and biopower. Its development efforts cover switchgrass, sorghum, miscanthus, energycane and short-rotation woody crops. The plant breeding and biotechnology company markets its switchgrass seed and sorghum seed under its Blade Energy Crops brand. The firm also licenses its technology and traits to other organizations.
ICARDA Spearheads Seed Relief in Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are dependent on grain imports to complement domestic production. However, a combination of bad weather conditions and the impact of several years of neglect in agriculture have drastically worsened the food security in these countries. Rising food prices have had a heavy toll on both countries, where prices for bread more than doubled over the last 12 months.
ICARDA, following the request and support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), together with its development partners in Tajikistan (Save the Children) and Kyrgyzstan (International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development), have carried out emergency supply of winter wheat seeds to both countries. ICARDA, working together with numerous partners, moved quickly to facilitate purchase of adapted seed varieties from Krasnodar, its transport and hand off to the development partners. In total, 172 tons planting seeds of adapted winter wheat varieties were provided to 275 tons to Kyrgyzstan (Krasnodar 99 and Starshina) and Tajikistan (Tanya).
To prevent such food crises in the future, long-term steps should be taken to develop more sustainable solutions to the inherent problems of low wheat productivity mainly on irrigated, often salinity-ridden land, and of insufficient and inefficient wheat seed supply to farmers in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Therefore, ICARDA will continue its work with is development and donor partners on developing and implementing activities aiming at strengthening the private seed production and supply systems, in the CAC region.
Source: CAC News, July-September 2007
New Members of UPOV
On 29 October and 12 December 2008, the Government of Georgia and Costa Rica, respectively deposited their instrument of accession to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants of December 2, 1961, as revised at Geneva on November 10, 1972, on October 23, 1978, and on March 19, 1991, with the Secretary General of UPOV. The Convention entered into force for Georgia one month after the deposit of its instrument of accession, i.e. on 29 November 2008 whereas for Costa Rica on 12 January 2009. Georgia and Costa Rica became the 66th and 67th members of the Union. According to the notification deposited with the Secretary General together with the instrument of accession, protection is available to all genera and species in both countries. UPOV has now 67 member countries.
USPTO Overturns Yellow Bean Patent
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reversed the controversial patent for a common yellow bean breed. The patent has raised profound concerns since it was granted to Larry Proctor of Colorado in 1999. Proctor bought the beans, known to locals as azufrado or Mayocoba, in Mexico and bred them for several years to grow plants that produce distinctly colored yellow seed and gave better harvest, dubbed as 'Enola bean'. Proctor has been charging licensing fees on imports of yellow beans from Mexico, until the patent was challenged by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in 2001. CIAT claims that the bean has been a familiar staple in Latin American diets for more than a century.
It is important that when food crops are involved, governments have a duty to ensure that (before granting patent protection) they have been presented with a clearly distinct and novel discovery and that the plant material used in the research and development was lawfully obtained. For more information visit the website.
NEPAD Workshop Discusses Challenges for North Africa
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a program of action of the African Union for the development of the African Continent. Under NEPAD, more than 130 scientists from Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania Morocco and Tunisia attended a biotechnology workshop in Ezzahra, Tunisia to discuss the challenges and a regional integrated research program for North Africa. There are on-going research projects aimed at improving crops' nutritional quality, and tolerance to drought and salt. A collaborating team from Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia succeeded in collecting valuable North African germplasm with tolerance to drought and salinity, and with low level of phytic acids. These pioneering efforts will have a great impact in fighting poverty and malnutrition. Participants made several recommendations to enhance the network which include capacity building and human resource enhancement in Africa, role of NEPAD to strengthen cooperation among African scientists, identifying focal points North Africa countries, additional training in the biotechnology, and upgrading agricultural communication For further information, contact: Ismail Abdel Hamid, Egypt Biotechnology Information Center; E-mail: ismail@isaaa.org or ismail@egypt-bic.com.
Source: CropBiotech Update 5 December 2008