The Contribution of Seed to Sustainable Food Systems Setting the Scene – the triple challenge Global agriculture is expected to deliver on a formidable triple challenge. First, it must provide food security, by ensuring that healthy and nutritious food is available and affordable for the world population. This needs to be done sustainably, by protecting and conserving the planet’s resources: producing more food on the same amount of land while using less water and other resources. It must also generate incomes and provide livelihoods to farmers worldwide, as well as others in the food chain. Many countries reviewed, or in a process to review, their current agricultural policies with the aim to ensure food security but at the same time reduce environmental impact of agricultural production and provide sufficient incomes to farmers. The development of new plant varieties that respond to the effects of climate change, with features such as disease resistance, drought, salt & flood tolerance combined with high yields and good eating quality need to be combined with farmer access to good quality seed. High quality seed of new varieties has the potential to improve the sustainability and resilience of farming while raising income for farmers. These benefits will be passed on to consumers in the form of improved food security, greater choice and affordability.
The OECD Seed Schemes at the service of sustainable and resilient food systems The OECD Schemes’ scope is to facilitate the movement of high quality agricultural seeds across borders by harmonising certification standards and procedures. This harmonisation helps to improve domestic production, develop export markets, and provides trust and reassurance to farmers, plant breeders and authorities through an inclusive and participatory standard setting process and a robust seed varietal certification system. Food Security Increases in food production continue to be crucial for the future as the world population and demand continue to grow. The seed sector directly influences three dimensions of food security and nutrition: food availability, access, and stability. By ensuring access to consistently high quality seeds, the OECD Seed Schemes thus contribute to food security and nutrition through productivity growth, enhanced resilience and quality improvement, allowing a greater availability of nutritious food at affordable prices. Livelihoods Access to new high quality varieties can deliver important gains for farmers, boosting agricultural productivity, improving the quality of crops and reducing production risks thereby ameliorating rural livelihoods. The OECD Seed Schemes facilitate access to consistently high quality seeds of new varieties and ensure that farmers can trust the seed they are buying. Apart from delivering new varieties, OECD certification maintains supplies of established varieties whilst there is a demand for them. The Schemes can provide access to new markets for breeders and seed producers leading to higher income and creation of more business nationally and internationally.