Seed Unit Annual report 2004-2005

Abstract

The primary objective of the Seed Unit of ICARDA is to strengthen national seed systems in Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) with an overall goal of increasing agricultural production and productivity and ensuring food security through improved seed security. These objectives are achieved through supporting the formal public and private seed sectors and alternative seed delivery systems.

From January 2005, the Seed Unit became a part of ICARDA’s Megaproject on Knowledge Management and Dissemination for Sustainable Development in Dry Areas.

Strengthening seed systems is demand-driven and includes a wide range of activities and is implemented in partnership with the national seed programs across the region.

In this report, Chapter 2 describes the village-based seed enterprise program and related activities, including all in-country training courses and consultancy missions. Chapter 3 reports the activities in Iran, Sudan, Uzbekistan, and Yemen in strengthening national seed programs. The activities of the WANA Seed Network are reported in Chapter 4. The International Seed Trade Conference (November 2005, Antalya, Turkey) was one of the highlights showing the future direction of the WANA Seed Network. Chapter 5 summarizes research on seed technology and seed supply carried out by the Seed Unit. Chapter 6 presents human resource development in the region whereas Chapter 7 reports the services (seed production, processing, storage, testing) that are provided to the commodity programs at ICARDA.