Recognizing farmer-managed seed systems: A review of Vietnam’s policy and legal framework

Seed systems are central to food security, climate resilience, and agricultural sustainability. In Vietnam, despite decades of investment in formal seed system development, farmer-managed seed systems (FMSS) remain crucial for supplying seeds of main crops, such as rice and vegetables, especially indigenous and farmer-bred varieties in remote areas. Empirical evidence shows that farmer-saved seed, local exchange, and community-based seed networks are the major seed sources for smallholder farmers, ensuring access to diverse, locally adapted varieties at low cost. Formal seed systems, led by public research institutes and private enterprises under state regulations have substantially improved crop productivity and varietal performance. However, their emphasis on uniformity, certification, and commercialization often limits crop diversity, local adaptation, and accessibility for smallholder farm households. Farmer-managed seed systems, in which women play key roles as seed guardians and managers, conserve agrobiodiversity, enhance seed security, strengthen livelihoods, and support climate adaptation.
A review of 22 policy and legal documents, and 29 reports and publications showed that the current policy and legal framework in the country largely overlooks FMSS. While biodiversity and genetic resource policies acknowledge the importance of conservation and traditional knowledge, institutional support for implementation of measures that support FMMS is lacking. Seed laws and regulations emphasize certified varieties, formal testing procedures, and strict quality control. They create procedural challenges for indigenous and farmer-bred varieties to be registered and integrated into formally recognized seed production and dissemination. As the country advances towards its 2030 biodiversity and sustainable agriculture goals, there is an opportunity to rebalance seed governance. Strengthening seed system resilience in Vietnam requires formal recognition of farmer-managed seed systems as a legitimate and complementary component of the national seed sector and institutional support for community seed banks and farmer seed organizations. Improving coherence between biodiversity, agriculture, and food and nutrition security policies will enable the country to harness its rich agro-biodiversity while building a more inclusive, climate-resilient seed sector.
A key contribution of this review is clarification of policy-relevant entry points rather than proposing new regulatory frameworks. It highlights how FMSS already contribute to na-tional objectives that are explicitly referenced in existing laws and strategies, such as ag-robiodiversity conservation, local adaptation, seed security, and risk reduction for small-holder farmers. The review also raises important questions for policy discussion regarding seed quality assurance, variety recognition, and market integration. The insights can sup-port evidence-based reflection within policy and technical committees responsible for seed regulation and genetic resource management.