Ensuring that farmers have access to affordable quality seeds and planting materials of the most suitable crop varieties is essential for improving food security and nutrition as well as the livelihoods of farming communities. In many developing countries, there is a lack of adequate seed policies €“ i.e. principles that guide government action and define the roles of stakeholders. The absence of such policies weakens countries’ capacity to provide smallholders with adequate access to quality seeds of the crops most suited to their farming systems, conditions and needs. This Guide has been developed to assist governments in formulating policies which help create an enabling environment for seed sector development.
