IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v97y2020ics0306919220302062.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Viewpoint: COVID-19 and seed security response now and beyond

Author

Listed:
  • Sperling, Louise
  • Louwaars, Niels
  • de Ponti, Orlando
  • Smale, Melinda
  • Baributsa, Dieudonne
  • van Etten, Jacob

Abstract

COVID-19 brings new challenges worldwide, including to smallholder farmers and their seed systems. In response, an escalating number of seed projects are being planned to deliver immediate aid or to alter current seed production programs. A Statement, prepared by diverse seed system experts, aims to steer both the immediate aid (next 1–2 seasons) and more developmental planning (next 1–3 years). The Statement includes 10 short-term and 4 medium-term recommendations, placing emphasis on all seed systems smallholders use: formal, informal, and integrated. It also looks beyond seed per se to the direct information and digital systems that shape remote assessments, data sharing and inclusive feedback. The Statement is prefaced by an introduction that helps contextualize the recommendations, reviews the history of humanitarian seed aid and summarizes the varied response forms that have unfolded over the last three decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Sperling, Louise & Louwaars, Niels & de Ponti, Orlando & Smale, Melinda & Baributsa, Dieudonne & van Etten, Jacob, 2020. "Viewpoint: COVID-19 and seed security response now and beyond," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:97:y:2020:i:c:s0306919220302062
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.102000
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919220302062
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.102000?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Louise Sperling & Patrick Gallagher & Shawn McGuire & Julie March & Noel Templer, 2020. "Informal Seed Traders: The Backbone of Seed Business and African Smallholder Seed Supply," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    2. Sperling, Louise & McGuire, Shawn J., 2010. "Persistent myths about emergency seed aid," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 195-201, June.
    3. Louise Sperling & H David Cooper & Tom Remington, 2008. "Moving Towards More Effective Seed Aid," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(4), pages 586-612, April.
    4. Lentz, Erin C. & Barrett, Christopher B. & Gómez, Miguel I. & Maxwell, Daniel G., 2013. "On The Choice and Impacts of Innovative International Food Assistance Instruments," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 1-8.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ola Tveitereid Westengen & Kristine Skarbø & Teshome Hunduma Mulesa & Trygve Berg, 2018. "Access to genes: linkages between genebanks and farmers’ seed systems," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(1), pages 9-25, February.
    2. J.P.B. Lillesø & C. Harwood & Abayneh Derero & L. Graudal & J. M. Roshetko & R. Kindt & S. Moestrup & W. O. Omondi & N. Holtne & A. Mbora & P. van Breugel & I. K. Dawson & R. Jamnadass & H. Egelyng, 2018. "Why institutional environments for agroforestry seed systems matter," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 36(S1), pages 89-112, March.
    3. World Bank Group, 2016. "Cash Transfers in Humanitarian Contexts," World Bank Publications - Reports 24699, The World Bank Group.
    4. Yingjie Song & Qiong Fang & Devra Jarvis & Keyu Bai & Dongmei Liu & Jinchao Feng & Chunlin Long, 2019. "Network Analysis of Seed Flow, a Traditional Method for Conserving Tartary Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum tataricum ) Landraces in Liangshan, Southwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-14, August.
    5. Ugo Gentilini, 2016. "The Other Side of the Coin," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 24593.
    6. Langyintuo, Augustine S. & Setimela, Peter, 2009. "Assessing the effectiveness of a technical assistance program: The case of maize seed relief to vulnerable households in Zimbabwe," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 377-387, August.
    7. Barriga, Alicia & Fiala, Nathan, 2020. "The supply chain for seed in Uganda: Where does it go wrong?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    8. Lentz, Erin C. & Passarelli, Simone & Barrett, Christopher B., 2013. "The Timeliness and Cost-Effectiveness of the Local and Regional Procurement of Food Aid," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 9-18.
    9. Barriga, Alicia & Fiala, Nathan, 2018. "The supply chain for seed in Uganda: Where does it all go wrong?," Working Paper series 290139, University of Connecticut, Charles J. Zwick Center for Food and Resource Policy.
    10. Peters, Koen & Fleuren, H.A. & den Hertog, Dick & Kavelj, Mirjana & Silva, Sergio & Goncalves, Rui & Ergun, Ozlem & Soldner, Mallory, 2016. "The Nutritious Supply Chain : Optimizing Humanitarian Food Aid," Discussion Paper 2016-044, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    11. Gentilini,Ugo, 2016. "The revival of the"cash versus food"debate : new evidence for an old quandary ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7584, The World Bank.
    12. Megan Mucioki & Bernard Pelletier & Timothy Johns & Lutta W. Muhammad & Gordon M. Hickey, 2018. "On developing a scale to measure chronic household seed insecurity in semi-arid Kenya and the implications for food security policy," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(3), pages 571-587, June.
    13. Gómez, Miguel I. & Barrett, Christopher B. & Raney, Terri & Pinstrup-Andersen, Per & Meerman, Janice & Croppenstedt, André & Carisma, Brian & Thompson, Brian, 2013. "Post-green revolution food systems and the triple burden of malnutrition," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 129-138.
    14. Makate, Clifton & Angelsen, Arild & Holden, Stein Terje & Westengen, Ola Tveitereid, 2022. "Crops in crises: Shocks shape smallholders' diversification in rural Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    15. Louise Sperling & Patrick Gallagher & Shawn McGuire & Julie March & Noel Templer, 2020. "Informal Seed Traders: The Backbone of Seed Business and African Smallholder Seed Supply," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    16. Sperling, Louise & McGuire, Shawn J., 2010. "Persistent myths about emergency seed aid," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 195-201, June.
    17. Farrington, J., 2011. "Stabilizing and Improving Livelihoods in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations (FCAS) – the Search for Frameworks and Evidence," Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA), vol. 12, pages 1-17.
    18. Viviana Meixner Vásquez & Regine Andersen, 2023. "Community seed banks: Instruments for food security or unsustainable endeavour? A case study of Mkombezi Community Seed Bank in Malawi," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(4), pages 1087-1108, August.
    19. Vu, Khoa & Vuong, Nguyen Dinh Tuan & Vu-Thanh, Tu-Anh & Nguyen, Anh Ngoc, 2022. "Income shock and food insecurity prediction Vietnam under the pandemic," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    20. Coomes, Oliver T. & McGuire, Shawn J. & Garine, Eric & Caillon, Sophie & McKey, Doyle & Demeulenaere, Elise & Jarvis, Devra & Aistara, Guntra & Barnaud, Adeline & Clouvel, Pascal & Emperaire, Laure & , 2015. "Farmer seed networks make a limited contribution to agriculture? Four common misconceptions," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 41-50.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:97:y:2020:i:c:s0306919220302062. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.