Learn about seed biology, seed selection, and storage practices for organic farms, as well as seed production techniques, such as hybridization and genetic modification.
Organic Agriculture: Understanding the basic principles of organic agriculture, including soil health, nutrient management, pest management, and biodiversity as they relate to seed production.
Seed Biology: Understanding the anatomy and physiology of seeds and how different factors contribute to seed viability, including genetics, seed dormancy, and germination.
Seed Selection: Choosing the right seed varieties for different climates, soils, and management systems.
Seed Production: Mastering the techniques and principles of seed production, including crop rotation, isolation distance, and pollination methods.
Seed Processing: Learning the basics of seed cleaning, sorting, grading, and packaging for optimal storage and distribution.
Seed Storage: Understanding the key factors that affect seed storage, such as temperature, humidity, and ventilation, and learning how to properly store and preserve organic seeds.
Seed Certification: Familiarizing with the principles and legal requirements of organic seed certification, including production, handling, and labeling standards.
Organic Plant Breeding: Learning the fundamentals of organic plant breeding, including selection of parent plants, hybridization, and evaluation of offspring.
Seed Saving: Developing skills in seed saving, including identification of desirable traits, maintenance of genetic purity, and use of seed-saving techniques and technologies.
Marketing Organic Seeds: Understanding the market for organic seeds, including the needs of different customer segments, pricing strategies, and building successful partnerships with seed distributors and retailers.
Regulations and Policies: Becoming familiar with the various regulations, policies, and legal frameworks that govern the production, storage, and distribution of organic seeds, including protection of plant genetic resources.
Training and Extension Programs: Identifying reliable sources of training and extension programs that can provide technical assistance and support for organic seed producers and growers.
Seed saving: The practice of collecting seeds from successful crops for future planting.
Farmer-led breeding and selection: The cultivation of new varieties through selective breeding and cross-pollination, with the aim of adopting to local climate and soil conditions.
Open-pollinated seed production: The process of breeding plants with traits that will consistently reproduce through natural pollination.
Biodynamic seed production: Biodynamic agriculture is a holistic approach to farming that incorporates the use of traditional farming techniques, as well as spiritual practices.
Community seed banks: A community-managed facility that engages in seed exchanges, saving, and distribution.
Integrated Seed Sector Development: A coordinated effort to improve seed production, storage, and marketing in collaboration with institutions and private sector stakeholders.
Micropropagation: The process of growing new plants in vitro by taking tissue samples, sterilizing them, and placing them in a sterile, nutrient-rich environment.
Protecting/buffer areas: Establishing buffer areas around seed production fields to prevent contamination from adjacent fields or areas.
Synthetic seed production: The use of technology to produce seed-like structures that can be used in seed production activities.
Mobile seed processing units: Portable units equipped with cleaning, grading, and storing equipment for seeds.