Resilient Seeds

The Resource Box for Resilient Seed Systems is a learning material based on Bioversity International’s long experience in seed systems research at local, national and global levels. It contains a methodology to build resilient seed systems that meet the needs of tomorrow and help farmers adapt to climate change effects. 

The step-wise research process is presented in these eight learning modules:

1. Situational analysis and planning
2. Data preparation and software selection  
3. Climate change analysis and identification of  germplasm
4. Germplasm acquisition
5. Field testing
6. Germplasm conservation  
7. Participatory evaluation
8. Knowledge sharing and communication

There is one specific module in this resource box for each of these steps.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

For those participants who would use the resource box as a self-learning course or participate in a structured group learning activity or workshop, they should be able, upon completion to:

• Conduct a situational analysis with communities and other stakeholders.
• Plan a research for development intervention on resilient seed systems in the context of climate change adaptation, with all stakeholders.
• Select the appropriate software and prepare data for seed systems and climate change analysis.
• Use selected GIS and related software suitable for the domain of plant genetic resources.
• Conduct a climate change analysis in the context of the impact on agriculture and seed systems.
• Select appropriate germplasm that is suitable to new and future climate conditions.
• Acquire new germplasm from a range of national and international sources.
• Plan and implement new germplasm testing on farm and on station.
• Understand how germplasm can effectively be conserved and multiplied.
• Plan and conduct a participatory evaluation of the research and development intervention.
• Share the research’s results with different categories of stakeholders.

Module 1, Situational analysis and planning, presents a primer on seeds and explains how to conduct a situational analysis with farmers and other stakeholders around seed systems and climate change; how to set priorities and objectives; and how to plan a research for development intervention. 

Module 2, Software selection and preparation of data, presents useful tools, such as DIVA-GIS, Maxent, and Climate Analogue and explains how to prepare relevant data in view of a comprehensive climate change analysis.

Module 3, Climate change analysis and identification of germplasm, explains how to conduct a climate change analysis, in the context of impact on agriculture and seed systems, and how to identify appropriate germplasm suitable to new, future climates

Module 4, Germplasm acquisition, introduces the reader to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and explains how to acquire new germplasm while protecting traditional knowledge and taking into account the phytosanitary aspects of seed production and distribution.

Module 5, Field-testing, recapitulates the experimentation with new germplasm in farmers’ fields and at the experimental station.

Module 6, Germplasm conservation, discusses the specific aspects to consider of conserving newly tested and newly acquired germplasm and explains the various ways in which it can be multiplied.

Module 7, Participatory evaluation, presents a global methodologly for evaluating the research process with farmers, gene bank managers, extension agents and other stakeholders.

Module 8, Knowledge sharing and communication, is a module about sharing the research results with the participating actors as well as with different categories of others involved or potentially interested in the results.