ICARDA annual report 2004

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age. They will also market the seed produced to farmers within and outside the community, either directly or through village traders and NGOs. When the project ends in June 2006, each VBSE should be producing 100 tonnes of quality seed of a wide range of crop varieties each year. ICARDA is providing technical support and helping VBSEs to prepare business plans. It is also supplying the initial batches of highquality stock seed, which the VBSEs will multiply. This seed originates from varieties adapted to the specific agro-ecologies found in the country. ICARDA is also helping to source fertilizer, equipment, and credit for the farmer groups. Such capacity building is important because small-scale seed enterprises are vulnerable, especially during the early years. This is not just because the farmers involved have to learn the difference between informal and commercial seed production. Agricultural businesses also face risks associated with unreliable climatic conditions and market demand, both of which are major constraints. Experience has shown that the success of a seed business depends on: (i) the marketing of a range of products (seed of different crops, agro-inputs, custom seed cleaning, etc.); (ii) proximity to markets; (iii) close linkage with formal seed-sector institutions (for research, extension, and quality control); and (iv) educational support to entrepreneurs. The survival and expansion of such businesses, therefore, requires detailed planning, which must include sensitivity analyses. By the end of 2004, the first year of the project, 15 VBSEs were operational (Table 12). These marketed or exchanged more than 800 tonnes of seed—more than half of the target amount (1500 ton per year) set by the project. A total of 113 VBSE member farmers, along with 187 staff from partner organizations (extension services, MAAH, and NGOs), were trained in technical seed-production operations, enterprise management and financial accounting. Developing a national seed policy and seed regulations in the Islamic Republic of Iran Since the mid-1980s the private sector has been encouraged to participate in Iran’s seed industry to stimulate national economic development. But this requires many changes—including policy and regulatory reforms—to promote a competitive seed industry with multiple players. In 2002, ICARDA organized a National Seed Workshop in collaboration with Iran’s Seed and Plant Theme 5 Improvement Institute. This brought together international experts and national stakeholders from the Iranian seed industry to discuss options for improving and developing the sector. Participants discussed the policy and regulatory reforms needed. They also presented key recommendations for possible actions by policy makers. The government of Iran has now established the Seed and Plant Certification and Registration Institute (SPCRI). This is an independent government agency. Its overall mandate is to implement (i) a seed certification scheme for seed and planting material; (ii) plant variety protection efforts; and (iii) adaptive research in seed technology. SPCRI has become a focal point for the formulation of policies and regulations. It is now responsible for preparing a national seed policy and a comprehensive set of acts and bylaws for the national seed sector. Table 12. Numbers of staff trained, and amount of seed produced, sold or exchanged by new village-based seed enterprises (VBSEs) in different provinces of Afghanistan. Seed sold/ No. of VBSE No. of VBSE exchanged members partners Province districts Crops (tonnes) trained trained Ghazni Khoja Omari Wheat 90 27 21 Qara Bagh n.a.† Helmand Nad Ali Boolan n.a.† 3 22 Kunduz Ali Abad Wheat, paddy rice, mung bean, Chardarah Khanabad Center and chickpea 400 45 60 Parwan Bagram n.a. † Jabulsaraj Tutum Dara 15 30 Nangarhar Behsood Kama Khewa Surkhrood Wheat 323 23 54 Total 15 813 113 187 † Group established only recently. ICARDA Annual Report 2004 67
ICARDA Annual Report 2004 68 ICARDA researchers were invited to help develop and review drafts of these documents. As a result, two separate policies have been revised and amalgamated to produce a comprehensive national seed policy addressing both seed and vegetative planting materials. The bylaws to be issued under the Seed Act have also been revised, and now address issues such as seed certification, enforcement, and seed import and export. They have also been made compatible with national seed policy and the Seed Act. In addition, in 2004, ICARDA helped to develop a model plant variety protection act based on the 1991 International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Convention. This will undergo further discussion and consideration. Appropriate technology developed for seed cleaning and treatment Processing seed to improve its quality is a key feature of the formal seed sector. However, setting up seed-processing plants requires considerable capital investment. This is beyond farmers growing low-value crops in marginal areas. Traditional seed-cleaning methods can be used to clean seed to an acceptable quality at the farm level. However, seed treatment, to control seed-transmitted diseases, cannot be done by hand. This is because it is virtually impossible to apply, by hand, the exact quantities (1 ml) of chemicals required per kilogram of seed. To overcome this problem, ICARDA has collaborated with Darbas Company, a manufacturer of grain cleaners in Syria, and A mobile seedprocessing machine developed in Syria for farmers in Afghanistan and other countries. developed a purpose-built mobile seed-processing machine. Development began in 2000, and since then several modifications have been made based on intensive testing at ICARDA’s headquarters and feedback from users. These machines, which can clean and treat approximately 300-400 kg of seed per hour, provide seed of a very good quality. They are currently being used in Afghanistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Vietnam.
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About ICARDA and the CGIAR Establis
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Copyright © 2005 ICARDA (Internati
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Foreword In 2004, ICARDA began stra
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ICARDA Annual Report 2004 2 ICARDA
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ICARDA Annual Report 2004 4 Partici
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ICARDA Annual Report 2004 6 ICARDA
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ICARDA Annual Report 2004 8 agement
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ICARDA Annual Report 2004 10 the ne
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ICARDA Annual Report 2004 12 other
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ICARDA Annual Report 2004 14 ‘HAR
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Page 49 and 50: ICARDA Annual Report 2004 44 In sum
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Page 57 and 58: ICARDA Annual Report 2004 52 Fig. 1
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Page 87 and 88: ICARDA Annual Report 2004 82 tices
Page 89 and 90: ICARDA Annual Report 2004 84 Partic
Page 91 and 92: ICARDA Annual Report 2004 86 Collab
Page 93 and 94: ICARDA Annual Report 2004 88 Protec
Page 95 and 96: Appendices 1. Journal Articles 93 2
Page 97 and 98: ICARDA Annual Report 2004 94 to int
Page 99 and 100: Kadah, B.A. Karim, and W. Erskine.
Page 101 and 102: AFESD (Arab Fund for Economic and S
Page 103 and 104: - Improving durum wheat for water u
Page 105 and 106: - Management of Research in Alterna
Page 107 and 108: - CIMMYT participates in the CGIAR
Page 109 and 110: - ICARDA is participating in the Ch
Page 111 and 112: - Integrated approaches to sustaina
Page 113 and 114: University of Delaware - Use of inf
Page 115 and 116: Appendix 7 Financial Information Au
Page 117 and 118: Appendix 8 Board of Trustees A t it
Page 119 and 120: Headquarters, Aleppo, Syria Directo
Page 121 and 122: Highland Regional Program, Tehran,
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IITA International Institute for Tr
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B.P. 6299 Rabat, Morocco Tel: +212-
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1. World Bank 2. USAID 3. United Ki
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