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Seed is a basic and vital input in
crop production which provides the foundation for sustainable
agriculture. In the absence of the good quality seed in time, the
potential of other agricultural inputs cannot be realized.
Traditionally, seed is the property of the farming community and
farmers have relied on farmer-to-farmer distribution and exchange
systems to meet their various seed requirements. Over centuries,
farmers especially women have identified, selected, bred,
cultivated, saved and exchanged seeds at the community level.
Introduction of the formal seed
industry began after the formation of National Seeds Corporation
Limited in 1963. Many subsequent developments in the formal seed
sector, including the entry of more and more private actors managed
to destroy and erode the traditional seed production systems even as
they eroded seed diversity also. A variety of seed-related problems
confront the farmers today across crops – it includes limited
choice, lack of availability of preferred seed at the appropriate
time with ensured high quality or in an affordable manner.
Seed has become an important input
for which the farmers are relying more and more on the markets and
self-sufficiency (both in the physical and legal sense) and
diversity become important concerns. To address the issue of
self-sufficiency, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture has begun a
Seed Village programme.
Though the last few years of CSA work
on seed village program was very successful in establishing local
production and distribution systems of seed, the path ahead in
continuing is more rugged. Mainly on three fronts, one being that
the public sector research mainly focused on developing hybrids and
genetically modified crops which farmers cannot multiply on their
own, second with the new IPR laws, Plant Variety Protection Act etc.
would put serious restriction on reusing the seed, third and mainly
often ignored one is the New Seed Policy at state and centre may put
restrictions on the informal seed systems in the name of quality
control.
In this background, it is CSA
initiated community based seed networks which select locally
suitable open source seed, use, multiply and share with
communities. Several NGOs like Centre for World Solidarity have
already created successful experiences in the area of seed
production in crops cereals, minor millets, oilseeds and pulses at
village level. Several such production units can be networked and
combined with an effective decentralized production, distribution
and marketing network in which ‘Community Based Organizations’ at
village level plays the key role. The network of the CBOs share the
resources and the seed produced can be marketed through the
network. If several such `best practices and experiences’ are
encouraged and networked, the seed crisis could possibly abate.
CSA is also
involved engaging with govt in drawing a better policy support for
farmers in retaining access and control over seed. |
