Seed Laws Toolbox

New modality to address seed regulatory bottlenecks

A conducive seed regulatory framework is a prerequisite for a vibrant seed sector. Yet, in many low- and middle-income countries it is still one of the key bottlenecks for seed sector development. There may be problems, e.g. with laws and regulations not being in line with regional standards, or issues around specific topics like variety release, quality assurance, seed business licensing and seed trade. A transparent and enabling business environment will benefit all seed sector stakeholders, including local seed businesses, domestic enterprises and international seed companies. Farmers will benefit by improving their access to quality seed of improved and locally adapted varieties.

Pilot Seed Laws Toolbox 2022

In 2022, SeedNL launched the first pilot of the Seed Laws Toolbox. Twenty-three proposals were submitted, each of great quality. Among these, four projects have been selected, which will be carried out in respectively Benin, Iraq, Mozambique and Tanzania. The projects have been implemented between September and December 2022.
Click here to learn more about these projects.

Seed Laws Toolbox 2023

In 2023, SeedNL continued the Seed Laws Toolbox and provided funding to three projects in Benin and Uganda. The projects were implemented between May and December 2023. Here you can learn more about the 2023 projects.

Seed Laws Toolbox 2023

THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS IS NOW CLOSED

Invitation to apply for funding

Supporting the development of an enabling environment in low- and middle-income countries is one of the priorities of SeedNL. In 2023, SeedNL will launch a second round of the Seed Laws Toolbox. We invite partnerships of Dutch/international organizations in the public sector, private sector, civil society and knowledge institutes and organizations in the target countries (see list below) to submit proposals for contributing to solving seed regulatory bottlenecks.
The application deadline is 1 April 2023. Projects are to be executed between 1 May and 31 October 2023. Find more information, including the project criteria below.

Find the application form here
The application can be submitted by email to: info@seednl.nl

Type of projects and funding

Projects funded through the Seed Laws Toolbox are limited in budget and time span. The project budget is between 30,000 and 50,000 Euro (excluding VAT), and projects need to be concluded in six months. Project results are:

• Seed regulatory problem defined and/or issue addressed;

• Local implementation capacity strengthened;

• Partnerships or network developed; and

• Follow-up activities formulated.

The type of activities that can be funded include: assessments, studies and advice on specific issues; workshops, trainings and coaching; and exchange visits. A project may not completely solve a regulatory bottleneck, but provide a good basis for concrete and actionable follow-up steps.

Project costs covered include: staff costs, travel costs, training/workshop and other material costs; costs of seed companies are not covered, but will be considered as complementary funding. The Seed Laws Toolbox is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, through the Netherlands Food Partnership (NFP). A total budget of 150,000 Euro is available, which means that three to five projects can be funded.

Focus areas

Areas that can be addressed through the Seed Laws Toolbox are: (i) laws and regulations; (ii) institutional reform; (iii) variety release; (iv) seed quality assurance; (v) seed business licensing; and (vi) seed trade. Challenges related to Plant Variety Protection and phytosanitary issues are excluded since they are addressed through other modalities and Dutch funding instruments. Find in the table below examples of potential projects in each area; find here a further explanation of the project examples.

Focus countries

In the piloting phase, the Seed Laws Toolbox will focus on the current partner and focus countries for the Netherlands in development collaboration: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Colombia, Congo, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Vietnam and Yemen.

Facility management and project partners

The Seed Laws Toolbox facility is managed by the secretariat of SeedNL. Projects are to be implemented by a lead partner from the public sector, private sector, civil society organization or knowledge institute. The consortia needs to involve at least one Dutch partner. Seed companies may join a consortia but cannot serve as the lead organization; private sector consultants are eligible as project lead. Because of the importance of knowledge on the local context, collaboration with stakeholders in the target country is encouraged. Project teams need to combine process and context expertise. It is required that the proposal is endorsed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (agricultural counsillor or food security policy officer) and potentially the Dutch branch organizations Plantum or NAO.

Project criteria

The project criteria can be summarized as follows:

• Projects focus on seed regulatory bottlenecks in low- and middle-income countries

• Activities take place in one of the eligible focus countries

• Projects assess and build upon the local context

• Projects have to be executed between 1 May and 31 October 2023

• When relevant, international standards and different seed indexes are taken into consideration; however, it is realized that there is no ‘one size fits all’

• In case crop group/crop-specific issues are addressed, the focus will be on crops important for food and nutrition security; ornamentals are excluded

• Project application and implementation is open to public sector, private sector, NGOs and knowledge institutes; at least one of the project partners is a Dutch entity

• The consortium has a proven track record of seed sector development projects

• Projects involve relevant stakeholders in the target country/region

• Project activities do not benefit a single company only, but contribute to the pre-competitive domain

• Projects are required to be endorsed by the Embassy of the Netherlands in the target country/region and potentially the Dutch seed industry organizations Plantum and NAO

• Duplication is avoided and complementarity with other initiatives sought

• Projects are preferably public-private partnerships
  

Proposal assessment

Proposals will be evaluated by an independent committee of experts. The committee will rank the proposals according to the following criteria:

1. Problem definition and contribution to an improved enabling environment in the target country/region

2. Project approach, proposed activities and outputs

3. Quality of the consortia; involving the partners in the target country/region and the right Dutch/international partners.
   Public private partnerships are preferred.

4. Project budget

Criteria 1 and 2 can each earn up to 20 points and criteria 3 and 4 can each earn up to 10 points. This means that 60 points will be the maximum amount of points.
Projects will be ranked and of the projects considered eligible the highest-scoring proposals will be funded.

Publication of proposals and project results

Approved project proposals and final project results will be published through briefs at the SeedNL website. In case of sensitivities, in agreement with the SeedNL secretariat, specific information may be kept confidential.

Timeline

Activity Timing
Deadline for proposal submission 1 April

Informing applicants on the selection results 15 -20 April

Development of contract with lead partner 20 - 30 April

Project implementation 1 May - 31 October (6 months)

Project reporting 30 November

More information

For more information, please contact the SeedNL secretariat: info@seednl.nl