Policies and practices of central and sub-national governments for seed commons formation in Japan: will the seeds of the varieties collected and developed be shared?

Abstract

Proponents of agroecology and food sovereignty are trying to form seed commons as a framework against the formal seed systems established by governments. However, we argue that the formation of seed commons should not be considered as a dichotomy that distinguishes between the government and stakeholders, including farmers, but rather as a dichotomy that divides the scope of activities into those regulated by law and those that can be determined by farmers at their own discretion. Japan, like many other countries, is a signatory to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, both of which contain important elements for the conservation of agricultural biodiversity and agroecology at the national and local level. Based on the proposed dichotomy, this study aims to explore the possibility of creating seed commons for seed sharing in Japan. We clarify the policies and actual conditions surrounding the access and use of seeds and explore the possibility of creating seed commons.