Official guidelines for the registration of farmers’ varieties in Nepal

In Nepal, provisions for the registration of farmers’ local varieties were included in the Seed Regulation (2013; Rules 12, By-Rules 2: Annex D), with the aim to facilitate their conservation and sustainable. These provisions were expected to simplify the inscription of farmers’ local varieties in the national catalogue, thereby facilitating the production and commercialization of seed of these varieties. However, a lack of clear procedures and technical officers’ limited experience in dealing with farmers’ traditional varieties limited the application of the provisions. Working closely with farmers’ organizations, the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), in cooperation with Bioversity International and several donors, developed an ‘easy to fill’ format/guidelines to facilitate the application of the provisions. The format was verified and tested during the 2nd National Workshop of Community Seed Banks (3-5 May 2018) in Kathmandu, based on consultation with key stakeholders (farmers, community seed bank members, seed certification agency, research and extension professionals). The revised guideline/format for local variety registration was considered by the Seed Quality Control Centre (SQCC) and the National Seed Board of the Government of Nepal and accepted as the officially recommended format for registration of farmers' local varieties.