b"UPOV focuses on the establish- In order to provide seed choice ment and implementation of anto a farmer in Africa, the supply effective system of plant varietychain has to be in place first, protection while ISTA comes fromhe says. We need to be able to the background of enhanceddevelop locally adapted varieties, seed quality assurance for betterproduce the seed, ensure its qual-on-field performance throughity, and have the right set of regula-improved seed sampling, seed test- tions in place for a seed company ing and storage capabilities. to get its products to farmers, OECD is concerned with thewho must then have not only development of a reliable and inter- the finances available but also an nationally acceptable seed varietalunderstanding and appreciation of certification system for seed move- the value of buying quality seed. ment nationally and internationally. Cooperating with local non-ISF works to facilitate growth ofgovernmental organizations the local seed industry to ensure(NGOs) is critical. The Soil Health Partnership believes by building on farmers access to improved varie- Some of the biggest chal- others work, we can be stronger moving forward.ties and seeds, while WFO ensureslenges involve showing farmers farmers are participating in relevantthe benefits of using improved discussions and helps maintainseed and training them on modern access to new plant varieties andagricultural practices. There are sustainable and affordable seeds.many organizations working on I think we've been workingthese problems, including the Bill on these things but not workingand Melinda Gates Foundation, Fair together as well, at least we werentPlanet, as well as public research all as focused on the highest prior- institutes and even private seed ity goals, Watne says. companies. Some of these farmers have Proof in the Progress never seen an improved variety Making quality seed available for allof seed, so having those test plots farmers is a challenging goal, but thewith trials, where farmers can come World Seed Partnership has seenand see the difference, allows them positive outcomes in several coun- to see four to six times the harvest, tries already. The United Republic ofKeller says. Tanzania was the first success story.Both large and small farms ben-It is now a member of UPOV, hasefit from these efforts. a national seed testing laboratoryAt WSP, we don't get in depthMark Watne says representing every group is important: accredited by ISTA, is a member ofabout how farms should look,otherwise, their goals wont align with other groups. the OECD Seed Schemes and hasWatne says. But we do need to strong national seed and farmersfind the best avenue to producewith SHP field managers to design and test research associations in place. enough food to sustain ourselveson soil health management practices, such as no- or In 2019, the WSP organizationsas the population grows, or fur- reduced-tillage, cover crops, and nutrient management participated in a seed-focusedthermore, to feed the people wein advanced soil health management systems, says Congress in Nigeria where stake- currently have, and a lot of that isStacie McCracken, communication lead for Soil Health holders from the political and agri- going to depend on the seed.Partnership.cultural sectors came together toWith such extensive partnerships in place, SHP has promote change. Nigeria also nowOther Organizations experience in working across company borders. has an ISTA seed testing labora- The Soil Health Partnership (SHP)The SHP network has expanded to 220 sites in 16 tory and is an observer country tois a farmer-led initiative of thestates, ranging from Maryland to North Dakota, from the OECD Seed Schemes. ThereNational Corn Growers AssociationMinnesota to Florida, McCracken says. Efficiencies has been progress in Ethiopia andwith over 100 partnerships in placecan be gained when you are working together. You can other countries, as well. to evaluate the agronomic, eco- build upon each others work to make stronger move-All of these are significant efforts,nomic and environmental impactsment forward.but Keller says the progress can beof adopting soil health practices onThe Climakers, a farmer driven climate change alli-difficult to see because so much ofworking farms. ance, is another good example of a large number of the work is done behind the scenes.Farmers in SHPs network workgroups working together. The website lists 14 organiza-24/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2020"