Some interventions can distort production incentives, destroy local seed markets, and prolong the transition to sustainable farming systems. There is now a keen awareness that interventions need to be designed more carefully to alleviate the root causes of specific problems, rather than being viewed as a generic default response to emergencies. Interventions must build on the strengths of existing seed systems and alleviate their weaknesses, rather than impose new systems from outside. Policy and Implementation Issues Availability, access, and utilization. Practitioners of seed interventions are now starting to understand the roles that seed availability, access, and utilization play in agricultural recovery following a crisis, and they are using this understanding to target interventions better. Seed availability refers to the seed supply within the affected district, region, or community. It is described according to the desired type, quantity and quality of seed or planting material available, as well as where and when it can be obtained. Availability may refer to both informal farmer-to-farmer networks and the commercial seed system. Seed availability is often a factor following a long-term drought or a sudden-onset disaster, when both stored and planted seeds may be destroyed or lost, leaving farmers without seed to plant and without the ability to obtain new seed through traditional farmer seed systems.
Seed access refers to the ability of farmers to acquire the seed or planting material that is available. In some cases, seed may be readily available on local markets, but farmers are unable to purchase the needed seed (due to lack of purchasing power or physical access). Poorly planned distribution disrupts markets and eliminates local sources of income and incentives to produce seed for future years.
Seed utilization refers to the ability of farmers to make use of seed, once it is accessed. This implies that farmers have tools, land, knowledge, and physical ability to plant seed.
Formal and farmer seed systems. Most smallholder farmers use their own saved seed for planting. Depending on the crop and situation, farmer-saved seed can be of a comparatively high physiological quality (in terms of germination percentage, physical purity, and varietal integrity). Seed quality does not necessarily deteriorate when seed is saved from season to season. Seed is also available from commercial seed companies—the formal seed sector. In most emergency situations, relief agencies obtain seed from the formal sector in relatively large quantities, often because procurement from small-scale farmers is deemed too difficult and seed is needed on short notice. Such seed is not necessarily better than farmer-saved seed, and it is often easy to overestimate the ability of the commercial seed sector to effectively satisfy the seed needs and demands of local producers (Jones et al. 2002). Dependencies and distortions. Inappropriate seed distribution can cause a general dependency on these programs. Many communities come to expect emergency seed aid as a right, thus undermining the advance of local seed systems toward independent and sustainable enterprises. Seed insecurity may increase if spontaneous aid/relief in the form of free distribution of improved varieties undermines the capacity of local seed systems, and limits adoption of locally suitable plant varieties and farming practices.     
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