About

01 / about

ReSeed:Blockchain4Biodiversity

Indigenous seeds are crucial threads holding the promise of food security and sustainable farming. Yet, these seeds face an existential threat due to issues like viability, climate change and dwindling economic incentives for on-farm conservation. With this in mind, the ERC-funded ReSeed project will use blockchain technology to create a transparent and decentralised digital farmers’ market. Through a meticulous mixed-methods research approach, ReSeed seeks to integrate seamlessly into international regulatory frameworks, fostering in situ conservation, research and innovation while benefiting small farmers economically and environmentally. This innovation addresses the challenges of preserving indigenous seeds and offers a transformative solution, fostering equitable transfers and incentivising responsible downstream research, ultimately benefiting small farmers worldwide.

Funded by & Partners

02 / vision, mission & values

Vision, Mission & Values

Vision

ReSeed's vision is a world in which (small) farmer-led in situ conservation, research, and innovation with agrobiodiversity takes place seamlessly, equitable research and on farm use of agrobiodiversity acknowledges and adds value to farmers’ ISK, and these, together, bring economic and environmental benefits to small farmers and re-establishes an environment of trust in the international agricultural innovations ecosystem.

Mission

ReSeed's mission is to co-create with small farmers and researchers, a first of its kind international digital market that incentivizes and facilitates equitable, sustainable innovations with indigenous seeds and farmers' traditional knowledge.

Core Values

Recognition: Farmers at the Forefront

ReSeed recognizes farmers and communities who continue to conserve, cultivate, adapt, and improve indigenous seeds and associated know-how, as frontline innovators whose work supports further downstream research and innovations.

Sustainability: Diversify Directions of Knowledge & Value Flow

ReSeed recognizes that unidirectional flows of knowledge and value from formal to informal sectors are unsustainable. Sustainable seed innovation requires reviving indigenous farming systems, actively using indigenous seeds, and diversifying directions of knowledge flow by equitably valuing, recognizing, and incentivizing flow of knowhow from the informal (farmers’) to the formal sector.

Equity and Responsibility: Revisiting Institutional Designs

ReSeed recognizes that institutional design shapes behaviour. Equitable and responsible systems must align incentives with desired outcomes, removing regulatory hurdles that lead to dishonest behaviour and strengthening pathways that incentivize trustworthy and equitable behaviour.

Participation & Co-development

The Digital Marketplace for Farmers Indigeneous Seeds and Knowhow envisaged by the ReSeed project cannot be developed without active involvement and continuous consultation with key stakeholders, including (small) farmers, researchers, non-goernmental organizations, public authorities, and relevant international agencies.

Re-establishing Trust

ReSeed seeks to rebuild trust in the international agricultural innovation ecosystem by addressing regulatory loopholes, ensuring honest reporting of downstream uses of agrobiodiversity, and rewarding farmers for in situ conservation. It aims to develop systems that respect privacy, consent, community authority, ethics, provenance, and appropriate limits on access and use.

03 / understanding reseed

Understanding ReSeed

Did you know?

It has been estimated that 75% of crop agrobiodiversity has already been lost, and three-quarters of the world's food comes from just 12 plant and 5 animal species. Agrobiodiversity is depleting at an alarming rate.

Agrobiodiversity, particularly farmers' Indigenous Seed Knowledge (ISK) and associated traditional knowledge, is fundamental to food security and sustainable agriculture. Although seed banks help preserve seeds, declining seed viability and climate change make on-farm (in situ) conservation essential. Yet farmers may have limited incentives to conserve ISK, while systems for tracing its origin, access, use, and downstream research remain limited. ReSeed is a farmer-centric research initiative supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that aims to build trust within Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanisms existing in international legal frameworks.

Explore ReSeed history →

04 / problem framing

Problem Framing

What problems is ReSeed trying to address?

01 — Rapid erosion of agrobiodiversity

Two-thirds of our current crop production comes from just nine species, making crops more prone to diseases and more susceptible to failure due to climate change.

02 — Lack of incentives and recognition

Farmers and communities may have limited incentives and recognition for cultivating, conserving, and continuously adapting local and heterogeneous seeds and associated knowledge.

03 — Lack of available local genetic resources

Researchers, farmers, and breeders may have limited access to diverse local and Indigenous seed varieties and associated knowledge that could support conservation, research, and innovation.

04 — Lack of information and traceability

Information about unique seed properties, provenance, cultivation conditions, pest and climate resistance, nutritional characteristics, and downstream use may be difficult to document, access, and trace.

05 — Lack of trust among agrobiodiversity holders and those seeking access

Limited transparency, recognition, and benefit-sharing can contribute to mistrust between farmers and communities who conserve seeds and associated knowledge and researchers, breeders, institutions, and other actors seeking to access or use them.

05 / these issues can be addressed together

These issues can be addressed together

How we tackle these issues

To address the issue of lack of trust in the system blockchain or Distributed ledger techonology (DLT) could guarantee privacy and full data control for farmers or farmer groups, while ensuring that that they receive the rightful compensation from any downstream use.

Immutable Record-Keeping

Persistent records could support greater transparency and traceability and contribute to trust among participating actors.

Distributedness

Distributed systems may support different forms of authority and participation and allow multiple governance structures to be explored.

06 / reseed approach

ReSeed Approach

ReSeed investigates these challenges through four interconnected research areas

Research Step 1 — Understanding Seeds, Knowledge & Data

Co-compile data categories, technical features, and monetary and non-monetary incentives with buyers and sellers of ISK.

Research Step 2 — Technical Approaches

Compile and test ReSeed technical specification and technology stack using inputs from Research Step 1, 3 and 4.

Research Step 3 — DSI, Value & Benefit-Sharing

Demonstrate how ReSeed can be integrated into existing regulatory frameworks with minimal legal amendments.

Research Step 4 — Governance, Consent & Responsible Sharing

Co-create with ISK buyers and sellers, a governance model and ethical guidelines for adoption of ReSeed.

07 / research progress

Research Progress

ReSeed is an evolving interdisciplinary research project. Research activities, work-package developments, publications, reports, presentations, and other project outputs will be progressively documented on the Research page as the project develops.

ReSeed Pahse 1

Research Foundations

The first phase covers the research that laid the foundation for ReSeed. It explored indigenous seeds, agrobiodiversity conservation, intellectual property, sustainable innovation and different ways of supporting and incentivising small farmers and farming communities.

ReSeed Pahse 2

Field Engagement

The ReSeed project formally began in October 2025. During its formative and pre-test activities, the team is engaging with NGOs, farmers and local communities in India.

The aim is to understand in situ conservation of indigenous seeds, Indigenous Seed Knowledge, seed-saving and exchange practices, digital access, consent and expectations around fair benefit-sharing. These discussions will help the team refine the research questions and guide the development of responsible technical approaches.

View research progress →