Ecuador: Organic Law on Agrobiodiversity, Seeds and the Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture (2017)

Ecuador's Organic Law on Agrobiodiversity, Seeds and the Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture, published in Supplement No. 10 of the Official Register on June 8, 2017, establishes the national legal framework for protecting, conserving, revitalizing and sustainably using agrobiodiversity, specifically plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. It regulates the production, conservation, use, exchange and access to native, traditional and certified seeds, as well as seed research, production, certification, marketing, import and export systems. The law recognizes the importance of ancestral knowledge and the practices of communities, peoples and nationalities in conserving agricultural genetic resources. It also promotes scientific research, germplasm conservation, institutional capacity building, seed producer organizations and sustainable agricultural production models. The legislation establishes provisions to ensure seed availability and quality, encourage agricultural production, protect crop genetic diversity and contribute to food security and food sovereignty. It also provides for seed regulation, registration, inspection and certification mechanisms, together with provisions concerning incentives and production support. Its principal beneficiaries include agricultural producers, particularly those conserving, producing or using native and traditional seeds, producer organizations and communities maintaining traditional knowledge related to agrobiodiversity. The law is a permanent national regulatory instrument rather than a stand-alone financing, subsidy or resource transfer program. Its implementation is supported by complementary regulations and administrative provisions.