The meeting recognised the need for the sustainable use of plant genetic resources for sustainable agricultural development of the region. Discussions focused on the appropriate mechanisms required to ensure capacity for the maintenance, production and equitable distribution of good quality seeds from a wide range of plant varieties. The meeting agreed to establish the Seed Consultative Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean.

This publication presents the proceedings of a regional technical meeting held in Budapest, Hungary from 6 to 10 March 2001. The meeting was organized and implemented by the Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Martonvasar, Hungary, in close collaboration with FAO's Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service. In line with the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, the meeting recognized that one of the major challenges facing most countries in the region is the need to invest significant resources in strengthening their capacity to increase the availability of good quality seed of a wider range of plant varieties. This will contribute to the maximization of both agrobiodiversity and productivity, in order to achieve national food security while reducing environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources."

This report contains papers given to a FAO workshop meeting, held in Rome in May 2003, organised to consider how to improve the effectiveness of seed relief schemes to promote sustainable development and food security, to identify gaps in the development of tools, guidance and methodologies, and to make recommendations for further collaborative work. It includes case studies of seed relief activities in several African countries.

The quality declared seed system, as set out in the FAO Plant Production and Production Paper No. 117 (1993, ISBN 9251032785) has been widely used, particularly by those working in the field of emergency seed supply and as a source of practical information on seed standards for a range of crop species. The system provided an alternative for seed quality assurance, which was less demanding than full seed quality control systems. This publication sets out a revised version, prepared by an expert consultation, which offers a more explicit recognition of the role of national policies and the impact of some recent international obligations on seed provision and a clearer explanation on how quality declared seeds can accommodate local varieties. The list of crops now includes 92 species, of which 21 include open pollinated and hybrids and one includes also a synthetic variety. In making this update, FAO sought to improve seed supplies to farmers and thus to contribute to food security.

FAO, through its Seed and Plant Genetics Resources Service, is conducting a series of expert consultations, workshops and conferences to generate ideas, develop methodoligies and facilitate initiatives aimed at strengthening on-farm seed multiplication (the informal seed system) thereby adressing the seed security needs of smallhoder farmers ... .

A wide range of crop genetic resources is vital for future food security. Loss of agricultural biodiversity increases the risk of relying on a limited number of staple food crops. However, many laws, such as seed laws, plant varieties protection and access and benefit-sharing laws, have direct impacts on agrobiodiversity, and their effects have been severely underestimated by policy-makers. This is of concern not only to lawyers, but also to agronomists, biologists, and social scientists, all of whom need clear guidance as to the relevance of the law to their work. This book analyzes the impact of the legal system on agrobiodiversity (or agricultural biodiversity) – the diversity of agricultural species, varieties, and ecosystems. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it takes up the emerging concept of agrobiodiversity and its relationship with food security, nutrition, health, environmental sustainability, and climate change. It assesses the impacts on agrobiodiversity of key legal instruments, including seeds laws, the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, plant breeders’ rights, the Convention on Biological Diversity (regarding specifically its impact on agrobiodiversity), and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It also reviews the options for the implementation of these instruments at the national level in several countries. It discusses the interfaces between the free software movement, the ‘commons’ movement, and seeds, as well as the legal instruments to protect cultural heritage and their application to safeguard agrobiodiversity-rich systems. Finally, it analyzes the role of protected areas and the possibility of using geographical indications to enhance the value of agrobiodiversity products and processes.

FAO Plant Production and Protection Papers Greenhouse crop production is an increasing trend throughout the world, with some 405 000 ha of greenhouses spread across Europe. This publication builds on know-how and experience from the South East European region to serve as a guide for trainers and a technical reference for producers and other stakeholders.