Module 4: Seed Policies, Regulations and Quality Management

The course is a quick overview of the academic program and the seed industry. It provides: an introduction to the seed science and technology topics; characteristics that differentiate seed from other businesses; categories of seed businesses; and a summary of the nature of seed regulations and their impact on the structure of the industry: public and private research and extension, intellectual property rights, conservation of biodiversity, and the regulation of biotechnology. Students will be shown the major ethical systems, including those associated with regulations. The student will understand the role of seed business in economic development; and the applications of the basic management functions to seed businesses.