This publication presents the proceedings a meeting organized and implemented by the Asia & Pacific Seed Association and the Department of Agricultural Extension of the Ministry of Agriculture in Bangkok, Thailand in close collaboration with the Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service of the FAO. In line with the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, the Meeting recognized that one of the major challenges facing most countries in Asia and the Pacific is the need to invest significant resources into strengthening their capacity to increase the availability of good quality seeds of a wider range of plant varieties. This will contribute to the maximization of both agrobiodiversity and productivity, in order to achieve national food security while reducing environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources. The Meeting proposed and agreed to establish a regional seed network to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise among countries and to coordinate policies and programmes designed to strengthen and improve local seed production and distribution systems in Asia and the Pacific. The Seed Network for Asia and the Pacific (SNAP) will facilitate inter-country scientific and technical collaboration on seed production and supply, and promote crop genetic resources evaluation, conservation and utilization in the region.

The vast majority of the world’s food crops are annuals that are grown from seed sown at the start of each production season. The quality of that seed is a key determinant of production. Farmers cannot easily observe the quality or identity of seed at the point of sale, which creates a risk on the part of the farmer. With the development of the commercial seed trade and the increasing number of varieties during the 20th century it became important to reduce this risk. This led to the formulation of laws and regulations intended to protect farmers and increase agricultural productivity through the adoption of modern varieties. The commercial seed industry has grown rapidly in Asia over recent years and these laws should be reviewed to ensure that they reflect recent developments in both technology and trade. In practice, the progress of this updating varies widely across the region; some countries have completed, some are working on it now, while others have not yet started. The purpose of this study is to review the current status of seed legislation in countries of the Asia-Pacific region, to share experiences and to make recommendations for future development of the seed sector in a way that serves the best interests of farmers and society as a whole.

This publication presents the proceedings of a regional technical meeting held in Budapest, Hungary from 6 to 10 March 2001. The meeting was organized and implemented by the Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Martonvasar, Hungary, in close collaboration with FAO's Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service. In line with the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, the meeting recognized that one of the major challenges facing most countries in the region is the need to invest significant resources in strengthening their capacity to increase the availability of good quality seed of a wider range of plant varieties. This will contribute to the maximization of both agrobiodiversity and productivity, in order to achieve national food security while reducing environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources."

This report contains papers given to a FAO workshop meeting, held in Rome in May 2003, organised to consider how to improve the effectiveness of seed relief schemes to promote sustainable development and food security, to identify gaps in the development of tools, guidance and methodologies, and to make recommendations for further collaborative work. It includes case studies of seed relief activities in several African countries.

This publication presents the proceedings of the Regional Technical Meeting on Seed Policy and Programmes in the Near East and North Africa, held in Larnaca, Cyprus from 27 June to 2 July 1999. The meeting was organised by the Agricultural Research Institute in Nicosia, Cyprus in collaboration with the Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service of the FAO. In line with the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, the meeting recognised that one of the major challenges facing most countries in the Near East and North Africa is the need to invest significant resources in strengthening their capacity to increase the availability of good quality seeds of a wider range of plant varieties. This will contribute to the maximisation of both agrobiodiversity and productivity, in order to achieve national food security while reducing environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources. The meeting proposed and agreed to establish a Regional Consultative Forum on Seed Policy and Programmes for the Near East and Africa (CFS-NENA). The forum will facilitate intercountry scientific and technical co-operation on seed production and supply, and promote crop genetic resources evaluation, conservation and utilisation in the region.

FAO, through its Seed and Plant Genetics Resources Service, is conducting a series of expert consultations, workshops and conferences to generate ideas, develop methodoligies and facilitate initiatives aimed at strengthening on-farm seed multiplication (the informal seed system) thereby adressing the seed security needs of smallhoder farmers ... .