Impacts of community-based seed production and supply towards sustainable agricultural production in An Giang province

Abstract

Community-based seed production and supply program in An Giang province had started since 2001, during 14 years (2001-2014) of implementation, about 15,115 farmers were trained and practiced in seed production, and 187 seed production clubs were established with the participation of 5,464 farmers and 29 seed production enterprises. The area for multiplying seed had increased year by year: 2,200 ha (2004), 12,659 ha (2008), 14,090 ha (2010) and 25,544 ha in 2014; corresponding to the increase of certified seed production from 9,700 tons (in 2004) to 66,568 tons (2010) and 169,321 tons (2014), has met the seed demand for the province's production from 30% (2004) to 90% (from 2008 to 2014). Due to the market demand and competition, from the 2011, communities’ seed quality had faced more competition and seed quality testing was required and concerned. Until 2014, 11,192 tons of certified seed met seed quality standard - QCVN: 01-54 (National Regulation on Seed Quality), this contributed greatly to the increasing of province's yield from 5.74 t/ha (2004) to 6.46 t/ha (2014). In addition, nearly 50 promising rice lines selected by farmers were released for adaptive tests and use. The community-based seed production program through “seed club” has brought significantly economic and practical efficiency by seed security for rice production in An Giang province.

Keywords

• Community-based seed production
• Seed club
• An Giang province and rice