Policies, laws and regulations in support of farmer-managed seed systems: still a long way to go A review of 14 countries in Africa

Estimates suggest that 60-80 percent of the seeds on which smallholder farmers in developing countries depend is saved on farm or obtained through informal distribution channels (rather than through formal channels that are regulated, monitored and sanctioned by government and produced and sold by the private seed sector). This seed is obtained through seed exchanges between farmers in the same or neighboring communities or other community sharing systems. This high level of seed autonomy among farmers does not mean there are no challenges…