How Seed Markets Help and Hinder Seed Conservation

Image courtesy of Rosmary Ratcliff/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Seed markets exist to provide a range of reliable supply of seed varieties at an assured quality at a market price. The seed market is operated by a formal seed sector with an official control of seed monitored through the process of breeding, production, process, storage, transportation and final sale. Seeds for sale must be good quality, collected in a sustainable way and contain the same level of genetic diversity and viability as the plants from which it was collected. The seed industry services environmental management programs and the economy encompassing agricultural, horticultural and forestry sectors, operating for national and international interests. Seed buyers can also provide seeds for mining companies, road builders, farmers and conservationist groups.

The seed industry can aid biodiversity conservation efforts by protecting varieties and assisting with their repatriation. Bought seeds can be germinated to regenerate plant species for the re-introduction of plant species, restoration projects or plant breeding. Through quality assurance testing, the risk of poor seed quality for food varieties are minimised. Formal markets make seeds accessible by creating a standardised distribution and procurement system. Certified or registered seed has verified varietal quality that can reduce input costs required to maintain crop yields which can help stabilise income for small farms.

Seeds were once largely controlled by farmers and public-sector plant breeders. Now the proprietary seed market by multinational corporations is so concentrated that it accounts for a significant share of the world's commercial seed supply. The top 10 seed companies command two-thirds of the global proprietary seed market with Monsanto as the largest seed company with a share of almost one-quarter of the market. The implications of this situation is that the industry has emphasised hybrid varieties with plant patenting laws which means two things, 1. varieties that do not have a world market place may longer be sold and will eventually give in to genetic erosion and eventually vanish and 2. farmers, horticulturists and plant breeders have become widely dependent on seed companies.

For many subsistence farmers in developing countries this compromises livelihood security and reduced opportunities for such farmers to invest in biodiversity conservation. Bio-piracy, the expropriation and licensing of genetic resources which are common property in developing countries, means that the communities that traditionally used or developed the materials are not compensated. Another problem is that public funding for agriculture, plant breeding and the search for rare seeds has declined while private investment is prospering due to the extension of the intellectual property system.

Most countries have some kind of government framework of seed legislation or seed regulations which should give seed buyers some level of consumer protection. Collaborative efforts for seed banking have been made and exemplify the importance of seed conservation. Yet many governments legislate to the benefit of private interests when what is needed is a lessening of the restrictions seed companies place on seed buyers and more cooperation with independent plant researches and breeders. Control of seed is fundamental to control of food supply and patents means less seeds for the commons and for many, saving seeds is a lifeline.