Open-source seeds movement

what is open -source seeds movement? How will it lead to farmer led seed conservation and distribution system?

Open-source seeds movement means the user agrees inter alia to not patent seeds bought under the open-source licence.
In India, the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), Hyderabad, developed a model that included an agreement between CSA and the recipient of the seed/germplasm.
Under India’s Plant Variety Protection and Farmers’ Rights Act 2001, farmers can register ‘farmer varieties’ if they meet certain conditions, and have the right to reuse, replant, and exchange seeds.
They can’t breed and trade in varieties protected under the Act for commercial purposes.
One potential application of the open-source approach is to use it in farmer-led seed conservation and distribution systems.
There are many traditional-variety conservation and sharing initiatives in India involving farmers. Many of them focus on traditional varieties that are unique to specific regions or sites and/or have specific features.
The model can also be used to promote farmer-led participatory plant-breeding exercises.
Traditional varieties often lack uniformity and aren’t of excellent quality for seed development and breeding purposes.
Open-source principles can help overcome these two challenges by facilitating testing, improvisation, and adoption.
These will ultimately be beneficial to India’s food security and climate resilience

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