The Importance of Informal Seed Sector and Its Relation with the Legislative Framework

This paper considers strengths and weaknesses of the informal and formal seed as a basis for seed sector development. The informal seed sector is defined as the total of farmers’ seed production, selection and seed exchange activities. Farmers play an important role in seed supply but they are generally not considered as a partner in the seed sector. Seed produced by farmers is still the most important seed source in the majority of developing countries. The efforts to replace farmers’ seed for seed supplied by the formal sector as a component of agricultural development has only been partially successful. Recognition of complementarity of the formal and informal seed sector offers opportunities to improve seed supply by supporting farmers’ seed production. The legislative framework can significantly limit these possibilities for support, depending its conditions. In such situations, re-orientation of this framework to improve seed supply needs to be considered.