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The development and implementation of organic seed regulation in the USA

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Abstract

This article reviews and analyses the evolution of organic seed regulation in the USA, as a model case of how challenges in a new regulatory area are being addressed. The study draws on formal interviews of key stakeholders, participant observation and documents generated in a 6-year period between 2007 and 2013. The article addresses three main issues: (1) how proposals for the wording and implementation of the regulation constrain seed choices and give rise to unintended consequences, (2) how emergent organizations and procedures have responded to the tension between sustaining seed differentiation to match the characteristics of local markets, organic production and agro-ecologies, and the narrowing of varietal choice in catalogued seed so as to expand commercial organic seed markets and encourage organic seed breeding and (3) why consensus on the content of formal seed policy has failed to develop despite a high level of stakeholder engagement. The study revealed that the official guidance on the interpretation of the regulation has not been sufficiently decisive to prevent divergent interpretation and practices, and therefore, the needs of a rapidly growing economic sector are not being met. The article concludes by drawing lessons for key areas of regulatory interpretation and practice and by identifying possible ways to make organic seed governance more effective.

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Abbreviations

ACA:

Accredited Certifier Association

AMS:

Agricultural Marketing Service

AOSCA:

Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies

ASTA:

American Seed Trade Association

ATTRA:

Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas

FFSC:

Family Farmers Seed Cooperative

IFOAM:

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

JC & CAC:

Joint Crops and Compliance, Accreditation and Certification Committee

NOP:

National Organic Program

NOSB:

National Organic Standards Board

NOVIC:

Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Collaborative

OFPA:

Organic Foods Production Act

OFRF:

Organic Farming Research Foundation

OMRI:

Organic Materials Review Institute

OREI:

Organic Research and Education Initiative

OSA:

Organic Seed Alliance

OSP:

Organic Seed Partnership

OTA:

Organic Trade Association

PSI:

Public Seed Initiative

SARE:

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

SOS:

State of Organic Seed

USDA:

United States Department of Agriculture

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 386, Wageningen, 6700 AJ, The Netherlands

    Erica N. C. Renaud & Edith T. Lammerts van Bueren

  2. Knowledge, Technology and Innovation, Social Sciences Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8130, Wageningen, 6700 EW, The Netherlands

    Janice Jiggins

Authors
  1. Erica N. C. Renaud
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  2. Edith T. Lammerts van Bueren
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  3. Janice Jiggins
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Correspondence to Erica N. C. Renaud.

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Renaud, E.N.C., Lammerts van Bueren, E.T. & Jiggins, J. The development and implementation of organic seed regulation in the USA. Org. Agr. 4, 25–42 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-014-0063-5

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