Community Seed Bank Labs – Workshop funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ project Seeds of Growth (Project ID: KA210-ADU-1727BE52)
Recorded 25 March 2026 · published on the EC-LLD YouTube channel on 8 September 2026 · 109 min · English with Czech subtitles
Recording of the third Community Seed Bank Lab webinar (Seeds of Growth Erasmus+), held 25 March 2026 and published on YouTube. Riccardo Bocci (Rete Semi Rurali) explains how international and European legal frameworks shape who may keep, exchange and sell seed in Europe. The session covers the FAO International Treaty (including the SMTA and farmers’ rights), the Convention on Biological Diversity and Nagoya, plant variety protection and UPOV, EU seed marketing rules and the proposed Plant Reproductive Material regulation (including the draft gene bank exemption and the conservation/organic heterogeneous material categories). Practical consequences for community seed banks are discussed: recognition by national authorities, traceability and labelling, who counts as a professional seller, and wide national variation in interpretation and enforcement. The workshop builds on a Capacity Gap Analysis surveying seed savers and community seed bank managers and shares slides and resources for further reading.
Slides and related resources
- Riccardo Bocci, Rete Semi Rurali – slides
- DYNAVERSITY manuals
- FAO International Treaty – the easy SMTA
- Seeds of Growth Capacity Gap Analysis
Key topics: EU seed law, Community Seed Banks, FAO International Treaty, Nagoya Protocol, conservation varieties, seed marketing regulation, farmers’ rights
