ICARDA Caravan 18/19

Developing National Policy:
The Seed System Code of Conduct in Afghanistan

Quality seed production is a complex process. Countries rely on detailed policies and regulations to ensure the availability and use of clean, high-quality seed. Like its physical infrastructure, Afghanistan's administrative structures have also seriously suffered, and policy guidelines are sorely lacking. Now, thanks to assistance from the Future Harvest Consortium, the country has a framework that will help the seed sector boost agricultural productivity while protecting farmers from using poor-quality seed.

H.E. Mr Sayed Hussain Anwari (front, right), Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Afghanistan, opened the workshop. Seated behind from left to right are: Mr Ismet Hakim of UN-FAO; H.E. Mr Mohammad Sherif, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Afghanistan; Dr William Erskine, ADG (Research), ICARDA; and Dr Ray Morton of USAID.

The use of unsuitable, imported varieties and poor-quality seed that fails to germinate has negatively impacted Afghan farmers. There was a clear need to coordinate activities and to formulate some regulatory guidelines in three key areas of seed and planting materials: production, import, and distribution.

To create a National Seed Code of Conduct, ICARDA organized a workshop in collaboration with the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in May 2002. Some 80 participants helped create and define standards and procedures affecting seed systems. The organizations represented at the workshop included USAID, ICARDA, FAO, CIMMYT, CIP, ICRISAT, ODI, IFDC, two US land grant universities, as well as several international and local NGOs, including Acted, Afghanaid, Concern Worldwide, Catholic Relief Services, DACAAR, GRSP, Focus, IMC, ISRA, MADERA, MC, and SOLIDARITE. H.E. Mr Syed Hussain Anwary, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Afghanistan, opened the

Participants discuss standards and definitions for the development of a Seed Code of Conduct for Afghanistan.

workshop. Workshop participants also visited wheat fields in Logar Province, about 60 km south of Kabul, where they met growers, community groups, and members of farmer cooperatives. Discussions covered a wide range of issues, including variety maintenance, pests and diseases, and agronomic and seed production practices.

Afghanistan’s Acting Interim Government adopted the Code of Conduct developed at this workshop as the national seed policy and regulatory framework for the country.

Both policies take into account Afghanistan’s specific conditions, which might require a unique approach, while urging the nation to participate in the developments in the seed industry taking place around the world. The FAO has agreed to finalize these documents through the services of a legal consultant.

These guiding principles are an important tool for creating new businesses, developing consumer confidence, and protecting Afghan farmers as the country moves from dependence on emergency assistance to sustainable agricultural production.