The Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) has a long track record of providing leadership for the seed industry – from setting national standards for seed purity, to managing the seed certification process, and advocating for its seed-growing members.
But the seed industry’s regulatory and certification programs are about to undergo some changes.
Two years ago the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced its intentions to review the country’s seed certification program with an eye to modernizing the seed system.
In this interview, RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin talks with CSGA executive director Glyn Chancey about future challenges and opportunities the changes could pose for the organization.
Chancey joined CSGA 18 months ago and has been working with its executive and 3,500 members to develop a strategic plan and future vision for the organization. He notes that CSGA has launched a consultation process to engage members and stakeholders with the intent to gather feedback on a draft version of the strategic plan. That process concludes on March 24.
According to the draft, CSGA plans to focus its future efforts on five key success areas. These include:
- Trusted, High-Performing Seed System – the right regulations, systems, and processes to support seed and agriculture sector growth and prosperity
- Member Support – the right professional development and technical support services to facilitate member success
- Sector Growth – a growing seed industry that offers access to profitable new varieties and related value creation and sharing opportunities for members
- Partnerships – industry and government partners mobilized to enable seed sector success
- Organizational Efficiency and Effectiveness – a CSGA that enables all of the above cost effectively
If all goes according to plan, Chancey says the CSGA plans to release its new strategic plan later in 2017.
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