Farmers as breeders and seed producers: Insights from 30 years of scaling up seed clubs in Vietnam

Well-functioning seed systems are fundamental to agricultural sustainability and food security. In many countries, farmers’ seed systems supply the bulk of seeds used, and different approaches to support such systems as alternatives to fully formalized seed system development are increasingly gaining interest. This article presents and analyzes the historical development and impact over three decades of one of the best-known “intermediate” seed system development programs, the seed clubs of Vietnam. We focus on An Giang province where seed clubs have transitioned from being small-scale participatory crop improvement projects to playing significant roles in variety development, seed production and seed dissemination within the rice seed system. As of 2021, the seed clubs were the single most important seed producer category in the province, producing more than twice the volume as private companies and cooperatives. However, this seed production was done mainly on contract with companies. The production and dissemination of seed clubs’ own farmer-developed varieties were constrained by prevailing market dynamics, the localized adaptation of some varieties and regulatory barriers—including a new law that makes plant variety protection mandatory. The history of the seed clubs provides important lessons for other intermediate seed system programs with ambitions to transition from small-scale development projects to self-sustained organizations. We discuss the relationship between terminology, scale and objectives in such endeavors.