“Farm Seed Opportunities”, a European program: what are the future prospects for organic varieties and seeds?

Communication le vendredi 20 juin 2008. Viable seeds for organic cultureThe currently established seed regulations conform to the dominant conception of the conventional agriculture industry, wherein the cultivated varieties answer to the criteria of DUS (Distinction, Uniformity, Stability) and the protocols of VCU (Value for Cultivation and Use). In 1998, the European Community established a directive – 98/95/EC – regulating the marketing of seeds of landraces, conservation varieties, amateur varieties and seed mixtures. The Farm Seed Opportunities project aims at scientific support to the implementation of this directive by setting up coherent definitions of the varieties concerned and providing a survey and evaluation of national particularities. The project also expects to promote the recognition of the farmer's role in the on farm conservation and breeding of innovative varieties, taking into account the participatory plant breeding experiences of several groups of organic farmers. Diverse forms of agriculture and of marketing still exist in European countries. Farmers and other stakeholders in society (e.g. researchers, traders, consumers…) who are concerned about the safeguard of traditional, cultural and ecological values or wish to develop crop varieties which are better adapted to the specific needs of their local agricultural systems, need to keep access to a wider range of crop varieties than current registered ones. Organic Agriculture is one of these systems existing, which demands local adaptation of plants, as well as diversity in the range of products and multiple quality aspects demanded by consumers, therefore it requires a broadening of the seed market in order to facilitate its appropriate developmentFarm Seed Opportunities is managed by a consortium of public and private scientific institutions, peasant seed networks and organic farmers associations in six European countries. Our activities include three main aspects. The first one will consist of a survey on existing experiences, the expectations of the stakeholders and the limitations of current laws in EU countries including Hungary and Rumania. A second part will be devoted to an on farm experimental programme in three countries (Netherlands, France and Italy). Thirty farmers, mainly organic farmers, participate in these field trials. The farmers and some small scale breeders suggested their own landraces varieties of wheat, maize, spinach and beans. They have exchanged amongst each other’s the varieties. The aim of the trials is to describe how the farmers’ dynamic management and the natural pressure of selection allow them to evolve. The experimental data should be a reference to propose adaptations to the current regulations or to suggest regulation space for “peasant varieties”. The third part of the Farm Seed Opportunities programme aims to integrate all the information, to organise experts meetings and the dissemination of the results towards a broad public and to establish regulation propositions to policy makers. In all its activities, Farm Seed Opportunities will contribute to enlarging the basis of organic breeding and its farmers’ contribution. Organic agriculture and the diversity of life forms are intrinsically linked. IFOAM favours an awareness of this relationship by actions and statements on biodiversity. Our role is to reinforce the global strategy for the development of cultivated diversity