Seed Info 33, July 2007

S E E D I N F O

Official Newsletter of the WANA Seed Network

No. 33, July 2007

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CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SEED PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS_____________________

In this section we invite national seed programs, projects, universities, and regional and international organizations to provide news about their seed-related activities.

Alternative Livelihoods Program-Eastern Afghanistan

ICARDA is implementing an Alternative Livelihoods Program-Eastern Region (ALP/E) project through Development Alternative Inc (DAI) funded by USAID. The project focuses on three provinces (Kunar, Laghman and Nanagarhar = KLN). Establishment of Village-based Seed Enterprises is a key project component. At present 17 VBSEs at different stages of development are engaged in seed production and marketing under the ALP/E project and are supported by ICARDA and partner organizations. The VBSE members are undertaking all seed production and marketing operations at the local level.

Training in Seed Production Technology
About 90 participants including VBSE members, MAIL extension agents and ICARDA staff from 17 districts of KLN provinces attended a course in Seed Production Technology from 24-25 April 2007 in Jalalabad, Nangarhar. The course was practical-oriented and focused on simple and illustrative procedures for quality seed production. It was structured along four main themes: introductory lectures on variety identification, seed production, field inspection, seed quality tests.

All lectures were complemented by practical sessions and discussions in the field and laboratory. VBSE members visited seed production fields where variety identification, rouging and field inspection procedures were demonstrated and practicals exercised. During a visit to seed testing laboratory procedures for sampling and quality testing for physical purity and germination were demonstrated. The purpose is to create awareness of the linkages between seed production and quality assurance and its practical implementation. Farmers were clearly aware of 'quality' issues in seed production and expressed their commitment in meeting the challenges.

Participants of the seed production technology course during a practical session

Seed Production by VBSE Members
Farmer-based seed production and marketing enterprises are progressing very well in all three target provinces. VBSE seed production fields have good stand and are very clean since farmers use improved agronomic practices compared to fields of non-VBSE farmers. Most non-VBSE crop production fields have high levels of weed infestation, low plant population and quite often varietal/crop mixtures. Therefore, VBSE seed production fields can serve multiple functions. Apart from introducing new varieties for assisting adoption and diffusions, the fields can also be used for demonstration of improved agronomic practices and for promotion of seed produced by VBSEs to create demand from neighboring farmers.

Wheat seed production by member of Beshoud VBSE in Nangarhar province

Shamsuddin Siddiqi, ICARDA-Kabul, P.O. Box-1355, Kabul, Afghanistan, E-mail s.siddiqi@cgiar.org

Afghanistan Seed Board Gets Secretariat
The Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), H.E. Obaidullah Ramin, laid the foundation stone of a National Seeds Secretariat building on Sunday 27 May 2007 at Badam Bagh. Kabul. Also present at the ceremony were H.E. Mohammad Sharif, MAIL Deputy Minister; Dr. Tekeste Tekie, FAOR in Afghanistan; Mr. Matin Behzad, EC Rural Development & Food Security Advisor; Mr Mirdad Panjsheri, Chairman of the National Seeds Committee; advisors and senior staff of the MAIL; and staff of the EC-funded seed project.

H.E. Obaidullah Ramin cutting the ribbon during the ceremony for laying the Foundation Stone for the National Seed Secretariat

This office will accommodate the apex institutions for coordinating the seed industry in Afghanistan, comprising the National Seed Board and its affiliated agencies, namely; the Variety Release Committee, the Seed and Plant Health Inspectorate, and the Seed Certification Agency.

The National Seed Board will be proclaimed upon ratification of the Seed Law that is currently under consideration by the government. Effective coordination and regulation of the seed industry by the government and ensuring farmers have access to quality seed and planting materials are crucial for the development of agriculture in the country. The National Seed Board is a permanent institution with responsibility for implementing the National Seed Policy and the Seed Law and advising the government on all matters relating to seed sector planning and development. Amongst the key functions of the National Seed Board will be the development of phytosanitary and plant health systems to ensure the country is able to monitor and control the movement of seeds and planting materials. The Board will function as the apex body in the seed sector with overall oversight for the management of the national seed program and having autonomy to carry out its functions.

The National Seeds Secretariat will cost US$ 310,000; financed from a 10-year seeds sales revolving fund generated by seed producing partners such as Voluntary Association for the Rehabilitation of Afghanistan, Islamic Relief Agency, Mercy Corps, Improved Seed Enterprise and Nangarhar Valley Development Authority. The use of part of the revolving fund will serve long-term institutional development and will help strengthen the national seed industry in Afghanistan.
Mohammad Jawad, National Project Coordinator, EC Seed Project, Kabul, Afghanistan; Tel: +93-77-2788460; E-mail: mohammad.awad@fao.org

National and Regional Seed Workshops in Ethiopia
In Seed Info No 32, we reported that the Ethiopian Seed Enterprise (ESE), Wageningen International (WI) and ICARDA had launched a one year 'Tailor Made Training Program (TMTP) on Improvement of farmer-based seed production scheme and revitalizing informal seed supply in Ethiopia'. The TMTP is supported with funding from Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC) to strengthen the capacity of federal and regional (Amhara, Oromia, Southern Tigrai) institutions. The participating institutions include federal and regional agricultural research institutes, Bureaus of Agriculture and Rural Development, and NGOs implementing farmer-based seed production.

The first training courses were two one-week modules conducted from 16-28 October 2006 in Hawassa University, Awassa. The first component introduced participatory approaches, participatory plant breeding, genetic diversity and informal seed supply. The second component focused on technical aspects and institutional support for farmer-based seed production and small-scale seed enterprise development. Twenty-seven participants, four each from Amhara and Tigrai, five from South, eight from Oromia and six from federal institutions, representing various organizations participated in the first two components.

National Seed Workshop
The participants of the first two components were grouped into five teams representing different stakeholders and went back to their respective regions. Each team conducted participatory seed system analysis and assessed the opportunity for the establishment of village-based seed enterprises. During the national seed workshop held from 12-15 February 2007 in Addis Ababa, each team presented its findings and proposals for establishing VBSEs for further refinement and presentation during the regional seed workshops to a broad range of stakeholders, who assured their commitment in implementing the findings.

Participants of the national seed workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Regional Seed Workshops
Following the national seed workshop, four regional seed workshops were organized in Awasa (Southern Region), Nazareth (Oromia Region), Mekelle (Tigrai) and Bahir Dar (Amhara). About 93 participants attended the four regional seed workshops, representing a broad range of stakeholders to deliberate on the findings of the participatory seed system analysis and the potential for establishing VBSEs. Moreover, each stakeholder group presented its visions for seed delivery, identified its role and responsibilities, prioritized the activities and pledged its commitment in implementing the priority areas identified collectively by the workshop participants.

Participants during group work at the regional seed workshop at Awasa, Ethiopia

Resource persons from WI, ICARDA, ASARECA, ESE and SARI facilitated the national and regional workshops.
Abdurahman Beshir, ESE, P. O. Box 5466, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, E-mail abdubeza@yahoo.com

EIAR Releases and Multiplies Seed of Stem Rust Resistant Wheat Varieties
Cereal rusts are among the most devastating plant diseases worldwide. The three wheat rusts (stem, yellow, and leaf rusts) are able to multiply within susceptible crops and associated grass weeds, and are capable of both local and long distance dispersal in continental wind movements. Historical records show that virulent stem rust races occurring in Africa were able to reach Australia, presumably on high altitude winds and caused great yield losses in Near Eastern countries and as far as Pakistan and Nepal.

The emergence of wheat stem rust race Ug99 in East Africa represents a potentially devastating threat to wheat production in East Africa, Middle East and South Asia; and it is anticipated that Ug99 will spread to East and Central Asia and the Americas. Unlike yellow rust, stem rust fungus develops well under warmer climatic conditions; hence it is expected that wheat growing areas in the Arabian Peninsula could be affected severely. Yield losses due to Ug99 of up to 71% have been recorded under experimental conditions in Kenya and up to 40% in Ethiopia.

Growing genetically resistant cultivars is the most economical strategy to protect the world's food supply from losses to the three rust diseases of wheat. Since the leading cultivars currently grown in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia and a major portion of the current advanced breeding germplasm of CIMMYT and ICARDA are susceptible to stem rust race Ug99, an aggressive breeding strategy needs to be in place to rectify the situation. Resistances to yellow rust and leaf rust must also be incorporated in replacement varieties.

There is strong interface between variety development and seed supply. However, there are inherent weaknesses in the seed systems in nearly all countries of the region, hindering farmers' access to improved varieties and seeds. To date the formal seed sector meets less than 10% of the national wheat seed requirements across the region. The average age of varieties is over 10 years in the majority of vulnerable countries. The majority of farmers plant their own farm-saved seed, increasing the vulnerability of existing wheat varieties to impending rust epidemics. Moreover, a long time lag occurs in the course of variety identification, variety release and seed production and supply in many countries delaying fast adoption and diffusion of new varieties.

The availability, access and use of quality seed is expected to accelerate the delivery, dissemination, and adoption of new rust-resistant varieties by farming communities. ICARDA is working with the NARS of Ethiopia to accelerate seed production through both formal and informal channels for fast change over and replacement of existing varieties to counter the threat of rust epidemics through pre-release and off-season seed multiplication of promising varieties. Two promising wheat lines (ETBW 4919 and ETBW4921 identified from CIMMYT materials), have been extensively tested across locations in partnership with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and found to be stem rust resistant in Ethiopia. In order to ensure availability of seed upon the release of these promising lines ICARDA supported off-season seed multiplication. ETBW 4919 and ETBW4921 were planted under irrigation on 6 and 12 ha, respectively at Melkasa Agricultural Research Center in 2007.

Stem rust resistant wheat variety (ETBW4921) under off-season multiplication at MARC, Ethiopia

Under Ethiopian conditions, the two bread wheat lines are of comparable performance. ETBW 4919 matures earlier, is of short stature and low yielding compared to ETBW4921 which is relatively late maturing (by 15 days), taller and a better yielder. The National Variety Release Committee released ETBW4921 in April 2007 and about 20 tones of seed were distributed to various stakeholders for further multiplication including the ESE, Bale State Farm Enterprise, development agencies, NGOs, and farmer groups.
Bedada Girma, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, EIAR, P.O. Box 489, Asela, Arsi, Ethiopia; E-mail: bedada_g@yahoo.com

Role of NCISP in Seed Production in Libya
In Libya, the Great Agriculture Production Projects used to handle seed production under irrigation in the eastern, southern and western desert zones. At present, seed production is the responsibility of the National Center for Improved Seed Production (NCISP) which was established in 1998. NCISP has three farms for seed production, namely:

•	Tsawa seed production center has 750 ha with pivot irrigation. It is located in the southwestern part of the country and specialized in seed production of cereal, legume and some vegetable crops.
•	Kaam Bal Khams station has 6 ha and 0.5 ha fully equipped green house for seed production. Itis located 150 km east of Tripoli and specialized in vegetable crop improvement
•	Sidi Al-Masri station has 2 ha and located near Tripoli. It is used for evaluation of vegetable crops

From 2000 to 2005, NCISP has steadily progressed towards accomplishing its mandate of making available quality seed of wheat and barley. It is now producing seed of food legumes such as faba bean, pea, chickpea and vegetables (cucumber, onion, carrot). The success is the result of right policy and regulatory environment for production and distribution as well as adequate planning, and training in crop improvement, particularly of vegetable crops. The program resulted in the release of two cucumber varieties; Mukhtar and Kaam. In cereals, the program succeeded in producing foundation, registered and certified seed of newly released varieties. Since 2005/06, the center has started variety purification of bread and durum wheat varieties in cooperation with the FAO national seed project.

In order to meet the increasing demand NCISP has started contracting farmers for seed production of durum wheat, bread wheat, faba bean and oat since the 2005/06 crop season. The number of contract seed growers increased from 10 in 2005/06 to 30 in 2006/07. The area under contract with farmers is 970 ha for barley, 350 ha for durum and 493 ha for oat. All contractual seed production activities are concentrated in the southern agriculture zone.

The center provides farmers with foundation seed at a low price to produce certified seed which the center buys back at a premium price. Because of clear economic benefits more farmers are joining the program and investing in pivot irrigation facilities in the southern zone where water is available. The area covered by contract seed production is expected to exceed 5000ha by the next season. The high adoption rates of new technology by contract growers and its positive impacts on crop productivity and quality are clearly demonstrated by higher rates of contracted fields accepted by the field inspectors of the center. Following several decrees that restrict seed import to Libya, contract seed production appears the only way to cope with increasing seed demand of different crops.
Ali Shreidi, National Cereals Coordinator, NCISP, Tripoli, Libya; E-mail: alishreidi@yahoo.com

ICARDA and DGALR Organize Seed Technology and Biodiversity Course
The ICARDA-APRP (Arabian Peninsula Regional Program) and the Directorate General of Agriculture and Livestock Research (DGALR) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery (MAF) organized a training course on Seed Technology and Biodiversity from 23-25 April 2007 in Muscat, Oman. Dr Ahmed Al Bakri, Director General of Agriculture and Livestock Research, officially opened the course. Eighteen participants from various departments and regions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (agricultural research, crop production, extension services, and seed production) attended the course including five Yemeni scientists.

The national seed industry in Oman is at early stage of development and faces constraints such as (i) lack of national seed policy and regulatory framework, (ii) lack of trained manpower in seed technology, and (iii) low private sector participation in agriculture. In-service and post-graduate training for capacity development and assistance in the development of appropriate investment policies to promote private sector participation are areas for future collaboration with ICARDA.
Ali Hussein Al Lawati, Plant Production Research Center, DGALR, MAF, P. O. Box 50 Seeb, PC 121, Oman; E-mail: aallawati@msn.com

ICARDA and GOSM Organize Workshop on Seed Storage
The General Organization for Seed Multiplication (GOSM) and ICARDA organized a refresher workshop in seed storage from 18-20 March 2007 at GOSM headquarter in Aleppo, Syria for staff working in its various branches throughout Syria The course was officially opened by Dr Abdul Mohsen Said Omar, Director General, GOSM and Dr Ahmed El-Ahmed, ADG-GL of ICARDA.

About 25 participants attended the course from GOSM branch offices in Aleppo, Damascus, Daraa, Deir Ezzor, Idlib, Hama, Hassakeh, Homs, Latakia, Qamishli and Raqqa. The workshop included presentations on seed storage and management, pest management, etc. Field trips were organized to visit the facilities of General Organization for Cereals Trade and Store and GOSM in Aleppo province. At the end of the workshop the participants made recommendations for improving seed storage practices in GOSM. These were presented to Dr. Ahmed Bahij Sawas, Deputy Director of GOSM for implementation.
Moustapha Dawalibi, GOSM, P.O. Box 5857, Aleppo, Syria; E-mail: dawalibi@scs-net.org

Regional Training Course in Seed Marketing and Promotion for ECO Member Countries
ICARDA, ECO and FAO in collaboration with Field Crops Research Institute in Turkey organized a regional training course on seed marketing and promotion under the project 'Strengthening Seed Supply in the ECO Region'. The course was held from 25-29 June 2007 in Istanbul, Turkey. Dr Vehbi Eser, Head of Field Crops Research Institute and representative of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Turkey officially opened the course.

The objective of the course was to train seed entrepreneurs from public and private sectors in modern seed marketing and promotion activities for future in-country training in the ECO region. On completion of the training course, the trainees are expected to train others through training courses/seminars on seed marketing and promotion in their countries. The presentations included: (i) Status of seed marketing in each participating country; (ii) Seed marketing and promotion; (iii) Enterprise formation, business planning, financial analysis and management; and (iv) Country and private sector experiences in seed marketing.

At the end, the panel of resource persons presented their views on the workshop and issues that emerged from discussions. Specifically underlined were the issues of partnership development between governments and the private sector, the need to form and strengthen a regional seed association in the ECO countries, identification of appropriate channels for dialogue with policy makers, and assistance required by some countries to define and implement seed sector strategies. It was concluded that some of these issues could form the agenda for further discussion in the upcoming international seed trade conference which will include technical staff, private sector, and policy makers.

Participants of the ECO Regional Training Course on Seed Marketing and Promotion in Istanbul, Turkey

Thirty one participants from eight ECO member countries representing both the public and private sector attended the course. The participants came from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
Koffi Amegbeto, ICARDA, P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria; E-mail: k.amegbeto@cgiar.org

ICARDA-CAC Organized Seed Quality Assurance Course in Uzbekistan
ICARDA-CAC organized a Training Course on Integrated Seed Quality Assurance held from 4-8 June 2007 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan under the FAO-TCP Project (TCP/UZB/3002). Dr Amir Amanov, Advisor on Agriculture in the Office of the President of Uzbekistan officially inaugurated the training course. Dr Amanov thanked ICARDA and FAO for organizing the training course and assured further collaboration not only in seed production of cereals legume, oilseed and forage crops, but also in other agricultural crops. Present during the inauguration session were Dr S. Beniwal, Regional Coordinator, ICARDA-CAC, Mrs Anny van Pijlen, Training Facilitator, FAO, Dr Z. Ziyadullaev, from Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources and Dr Zakir Khalikulov, ICARDA-CAC.

Participants of the seed quality assurance course in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

The participants were presented with theoretical and practical aspects of seed quality assurance and ISTA accreditation. The course covered the theory and practical aspects of purity, germination and tetrazolium test and the use of ISTA handbooks and Rules. Mrs Anny van Pijlen and Dr Aziz Nurbekov delivered the lectures and organized practicals. The skills acquired will help the participants implement an effective seed quality assurance and increase the efficiency in maintaining the desired seed quality attributes according to ISTA rules.

Prof. Abdushukur Khanazarov, Deputy Minister of MAWR and Director General, Uzbek Scientific Production Center for Agriculture distributed certificates to participants.
Aziz Nurbekov, FAO TCP, ICARDA-CAC, P.O. Box 4564, Tashkent 700000, Uzbekistan; E-mail: a.nurbekov@cgiar.org