Community Seed Bank Labs – Workshop funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ project Seeds of Growth (Project ID: KA210-ADU-1727BE52)
This slide presentation by Riccardo Bocci (Rete Semi Rurali) delivered in the Community Seed Bank Labs WS 3 examines policy and legal frameworks affecting community seed banks (CSBs) in Europe. It provides an accessible overview of international and EU-level instruments — including ITPGRFA, FAO processes, CBD, UPOV, and EU seed marketing/PRM rules — and explains how rules on DUS/VCU, conservation and heterogeneous variety derogations, phytosanitary requirements and seed certification shape CSB activities. The presentation addresses practical issues for CSBs: accessing ex situ germplasm, sharing and exchange (seed swaps, collective multiplication), registration and marketing options for heterogeneous materials, benefit-sharing and SMTA considerations, and definitions affecting gene banks. It also outlines sustainability and governance approaches for CSBs (capacity building, self-financing, participatory governance) and argues for greater recognition of informal farmers’ seed systems and supportive legal environments that enable farmers’ rights. Links to technical manuals and the DINAVERSITY project are provided for further practical guidance.
Key topics: community seed banks, seed policy, EU seed law, farmers’ rights, ITPGRFA, PRM regulation, access and benefit-sharing
