Introduction

Broadly, two seed systems are under practices in Nepal. Informal and formal seed system. The informal seed system is characterized by farmers producing and preserving their own seeds for subsequent planting. Often, they exchange this small amount of seeds with other farmers as gift, and for both monetary and non-monetary value. Most traditional and local landraces are product of such selection and maintenance process. In addition, these landraces are important genetic resources for modern plant breeding. It is also known as farmer seed system. Farmer plant, select, store, use, sell and exchange seed of farmer-preferred cultivars over generations for their livelihoods.

 And the formal seed system is characterized by a vertically organized production and distribution of tested and released/registered varieties by public and private organizations using agreed quality control mechanism. It comprises different phases of seed cycle; breeder, foundation, certified and improved seeds.

Farmer’s seed system has their roots in the origin of agriculture, that is long before formal seed systems appeared on the global agriculture science. Irrespective of the presence of formal seed systems and though referred to as being informal, FSS continues to play a crucial role in many developing countries. It is still predominant with nearly 90% contribution in case of major staples. These seed systems enable farmers to domesticate, select, plant, produce and exchange seeds of their preferences for seed and food security. As farmers in these seed systems depend largely upon regular saving and farmer-to-farmer sharing of seeds of native and local plant varieties, FSS also contribute to conserve native and local plant genetic diversity. Farmer’s seed system promotes local and indigenous seed rather than exotic or hybrid seeds.

Why the farmer’s seed system is important in our context?

Most of the farmer have no access to improved and hybrid seeds or they cannot afford them too. In the remote and mid hills, availability of hybrid seed is not so easy and if available, farmer do not trust over them as they have neither been fully successful in achieving the yield as expected by farmer in their ecological conditions nor successful in combating the nation’s food security and nutrition. In this scenario, locally saved or improved seeds could be the solution for existing problems.

Importance of farmer’s seed system in the context of Nepal:

1. Locally produced seeds can be better adapted to environmental conditions and soil structure of a particular place.

2. It increases genetic diversity of food crops with traits that are advantageous to local growing conditions. By producing seeds in the very place that they are intended to be grown, the food crops can adapt to local growing conditions.

3. Local seeds production can create new varieties that are more resistant to local plant diseases and pests and extreme environmental conditions.

4. FSS encourage seed saving and community involvement. By seed saving, individual and farmers are allowed to retain seeds for future crops.

5. FSS contribute to save indigenous seeds varieties form going extinct.

6. It has economic, cultural and social benefits too as it creates “flow” of local, fresh seeds.

7. Farmer’s seed system also helps to achieve sustainability in agriculture.

Hence, if we farmer, seed company (private and public), and government of Nepal gives little more emphasis on farmer’s seed system as it has been given to formal seed system, Nepal will be self-reliant on seed productions, achieve food security goal and ultimately a seed exporter within a few decades. The history of formal seed system in Nepal shows that since 1950s, Nepal remained highly committed to introduce modern varieties but it is sad that Nepal is now a net-food importing country and more food insecure.  Data of the variety release in Nepal show that of the total cereal varieties introduced between 1960 and 2010 for domestic release, around 70% used only the parental lines of the varieties introduced form outside for crop like wheat, potato, and lentil this is close to 80%.

Why the farmer’s seed system is not in the priority of government?

In the initial phase, formal seed systems generally relied on public sector-led plant breeding for variety development and seed production. But later, since 1980s, private sector participation in formal seed system becomes more dominating, which is generally supported by private sector-supportive seed and intellectual property laws that focus on a seed regulatory system and marketing of high yielding modern varieties, including hybrid and genetically modified varieties. The government’s “National Seed Vision” 2013-25: “Seed Sector Development Strategy” (hereafter seed vision) recognizes the presence of formal and informal seed systems in Nepal.

The main reason behind not flourishing of farmer’s seed system are:

1. From the date of implementation, long term Seed Vision is only focusing on creating supportive policy for formal seed system. There is no section dealing with the needs of the informal or farmer’s seed system. It is despite of fact that the Seed Vision itself recognizes that “there are limited number of farmer-preferred improved varieties developed, released that the formal seed system contributes less than the farmer’s seed system to address farmer’s requirements of crop seeds in Nepal.

2. The performance of public-sector in the competitive environment after 1999 became particularly poor in seed delivery, while some private seed companies and small seed enterprises emerged as important actors for food crop seeds and led to monopoly in seed business.

3. The government has been more liberal for the private sector to register and sell the imported varieties form outside.

4. Dependency on few hybrid seeds, which currently seems to be a major policy goal can drive out the farmer’s seed system as such seed are not generally reproducible and restrict farmer’s options to save and exchange seeds.

5. Due to open border with India, a large quantity of unreleased and unregistered crop varieties, both open pollinated varieties and hybrids, are freely traded in Nepal through a huge network of agro vets, and there is no mechanism to regulate this free flow of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) across the open border.

6. Due to poor and irregular extension services, limits the flow of knowledge and technology among research organizations and farmers in the field.

Despite of the importance of farmer’s indigenous/native seed for subsistence, income generation and excellent adaptability, their availability is declining at alarming rate in all areas of Nepal. Along with this, the indigenous knowledge associated with the cultivation, utilization, and conservation of such seeds is also endangered. Consequently, indigenous landraces of seed are being lost or in the process of being replaced by modern exotic/ hybrid varieties. Only very few farmer’s seed are still cultivated in remote and hilly areas and most of those varieties are preserved in community seed bank.

Conclusion and Recommendation

So, before it is too late, the government in consultation with the farmer groups, community-based organizations and private seed entities should develop a long term plan to address the needs of the farmer’s seed system. Formal seed system alone could never achieve national seed vision goals. Formal and informal seed systems are integral part of the production systems and these are fully integrated as there is a great interdependence between the two. Informal seed system will benefit from a dynamic formal seed system that is fully linked with modern advances in plant breeding. Similarly, formal seed system will benefit from the informal system in many ways and most importantly in terms of acquiring precious unexplored landraces and indigenous knowledge associated with the traditional varieties for using in pre-breeding research.  A proactive strategy would be to invest and rely more on the conservation, breeding, development and use of native and local plant varieties that adapt well to local conditions and that meet the food security needs of local farmers and people. Another strategy would be to develop a clear cut plan for the use of hybrids in Nepal. For example, it is essential to identify in which regions and crops there is a need to promote hybrids, and in which other regions and crops, there is no need to promote non-hybrids or native local plant varieties. Nepal is undergoing through a major state restructuring and it is likely that provincial and local governments any introduce new policy instruments or revise or replace existing ones in future. Strong and live interaction, learning and sharing between two systems for continuously internalizing good practices will make overall seed system more dynamic responsive to the needs of the farmers and country as a whole.