Moving beyond formal and informal seed system for agrobiodiversity management

A virtual InfoPoint on “Moving beyond formal and informal seed systems for agrobiodiversity management” was organized by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships. The event discussed how seed systems could support diversification of agri-food production, while responding to the objectives of reversing biodiversity loss and tackling climate change. The discussion aimed to address the research and policy dimensions associated with the co-existence of systems and clarify the relevance of this theme for the diversification of agri-food production systems.

The event brought together various speakers, including Kent Nnadozie, Executive Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) hosted by FAO; Selim Louafi, Deputy Director of the AGAP Institute; Carlo Fadda, Director of the Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture of the Alliance of Biodiversity International and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Roger Kaboré, Director of the AMSP, Farmers’ organization in Burkina Faso.

Carla Montesi, Director for the Green Deal and Digital Agenda at the European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) opened the meeting. She highlighted the European Union’s commitment to continue supporting partner countries through initiatives such as the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Montesi stressed the importance of agroecological approaches and the need to focus on strengthening linkages between farmers and conservation centres.

Kent Nnadozie spoke about the central role of diversity of seeds for diversification of production. He alluded to the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation in tackling biodiversity loss and climate change challenges while taking advantage of various seed systems and promoting them in a balanced way. “No country is self-sufficient when it comes to the genetic resources for food production,” he stated.

Participants agreed on the need to adopt a pluralistic, global participatory mechanism for action combined with policies to address the challenges of crop diversity and improve access to genetic materials to achieve global food security and promote economic development.

You can read more about the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture here.