Search

The adoption of improved seed and other planting material in developing countries shows mixed results despite their potential to increase agricultural productivity. To arrive at a better understanding of the observed adoption rates, a lot of research is focused on finding the cultivars and variety traits that are attractive to farmers. Given smallholder farmers’ seed sourcing practices are often influenced by social ties and cultural norms, it is also relevant to understand where and why farmers seek to acquire planting material. In this study, means-end chain analysis was applied to understand farmers’ perceptions of formal and informal sources of banana planting material. Means-end chain analysis allows respondents to select and verbalize their own constructs to evaluate a product or service. These personally relevant constructs are subsequently linked to their personal goals via laddering interviews. We interviewed 31 Ugandan banana farmers from Western and Central region. Farmers associated formal sources mainly with improved cultivars, tissue culture plantlets and low levels of diversity. Informal seed sources were mostly associated with traditional cultivars, suckers and high levels of diversity. The goals farmers pursued while acquiring planting material, such as financial gains, food security, and to sustain and develop the household, were fairly similar among different groups of farmers. The means through which farmers aimed and preferred to pursue these goals differed and could be related to aspects such as gender, production scale and production goals. These differences among farmers preferences for particular sources indicate that not only cultivar traits should be tailored to farmers’ preferences and needs, but also the characteristics of the sources from which farmers access planting material.

The role of seed systems in nutrition of smallholder farmers has received little attention. This review mapped evidence of impact on nutrition, identifying themes from 43 studies as direct seed supply, improving seed access, and adoption of improved seed. Results had more positive than mixed/negative impacts on food security, household resilience, dietary quality, and diversity and/or nutrition status. Studies were skewed towards cereals and improved seed compared to other species and traditional/indigenous seed, and geared towards seed rather than the seed system. While most evaluated seed adoption and impact, few reported strategies for sustainable inclusion into farmer seed systems. Enabling factors contributing to positive nutrition impact included use of multi-component interventions and gender-sensitive and participatory approaches that consider the contexts.

Cassava and sweetpotato are major factors in food security across sub-Saharan Africa. Though cassava and sweetpotato varieties that are early maturing and resistant to diseases have been developed, many farmers still grow local varieties. Cassava and sweetpotato cultivars that mature between 6 and 12 and 3 and 4 months after planting, respectively, are available. The objective of the synthesis was to obtain a general overview of cassava and sweetpotato production in Matiliku subcounty of Makueni County in semi-arid eastern Kenya before the establishment of a seed system for them. Participatory rural appraisal and focused group discussions with key stakeholders in Makueni County on the current status of these crops provided very useful information. It was observed that there are a few early cassava and sweetpotato adopters, meaning a lot of effort in communicating the need to commercialize them needs to be made. Even though the farmers had sufficient experience in growing them at subsistence level, they were searching for cultivars that combine both nutritional and food security. There is a need to engage more extension service providers in order to campaign on their adoption. There is a need to carryout training and awareness creation on their role in food security and wealth creation.

Background Peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the major oilseed legumes contributing to food security and poverty reduction in Benin. Unfortunately, several constraints hamper peanut production in Benin leading to a low yield. Knowing that seed is crucial for increase agricultural productivity, a good knowledge of on-farm management of grown peanut diversity and uses that allow its maintenance in traditional Beninese agriculture are prerequisites to establish an efficient breeding and conservation programs. Therefore, this study aim to document peanut varietal diversity, folk nomenclature, seed system, storage constraints, seeds pest management practices, varietal preference criteria, cultural taboos and uses in southern and central Benin. Methods Two hundred and sixteen (216) farmers were surveyed through 32 villages in southern and central Benin using research tools and techniques of rural appraisal such as field visits, group surveys and individual surveys using a questionnaire. Results Fifty-four peanut folk varieties grouped into 8 morphotypes based on the seed characteristics were registered in the study area. All local names given to peanut folk varieties by ethnic groups have meaning. The number of folk varieties maintained per village ranged from 1 to 11 (an average of 4) and varied between 1 and 4 per household. Some peanut producers reported the disappearance of some folk varieties. The drop in yield was the main reason of peanut varietal disappearance in the study area. Rodent attacks were the most important constraints of peanut production in the study area. Varietal preference criteria varied from ethnic groups with seed size and many pod/seeds per plant as the main preferred traits. Peanut seed system was mainly informal. For peanut seed conservation, farmers use various storage tools. To alleviate pest problems in stored peanut, producers used plant biocides and synthetic chemicals. Some cultural taboos and various uses (food, feed and medicinal) of peanuts have been recorded in the southern and central Benin. Conclusions Our results suggest that for boost peanut production in central and southern Benin, breeders must create high yielding peanut varieties. For the adoption of these new varieties, it is important to take in account the preference varietal criteria of each ethnic group. To a good estimation of peanut diversity in the study area, morphological and molecular characterizations were recommended.

Background The success of crop varieties introduction is tightly linked to the uses, biophysical conditions, the cropping systems in which the crop is integrated and farmers’ and consumers’ preferences. In Benin, however, pigeonpea production systems including the cropping systems, marketing, utilizations and preferences have received little attention. This study aimed at analyzing farmers’ practices and constraints related to pigeonpea production as well as identifying farmers’ preferred traits in pigeonpea. Methods The study was conducted in three pigeonpea-growing agroecological zones in Benin. Participatory rural appraisal tools including individual interview (n = 302) and group discussion were used to collect information on production system, constraints and preferred traits. Fisher’s exact test was used to assess the relationship between crop associated with pigeonpea and the growing areas. Based on preferred traits, villages were clustered using UPGMA. Results Pigeonpea is predominantly grown by men. Approximately 98% of the pigeonpea growers associated pigeonpea with other crops, while 2% of them grew the crop in pure stand. Pigeonpea grown in association with maize (48.7%) was the most encountered cropping system. The type of crops associated with pigeonpea depended on the growing area (P

Seed is a key input for improving crop production and productivity. Increasing the quality of seeds can increase the yield potential of the crop by significant folds and thus, is one of the most economical and efficient inputs to agricultural development. Generation and transfer of improved technologies are critical prerequisites for agricultural development particularly for an agrarian based economy such as of Ethiopian. In Ethiopia, for instance, a unit increase in GDP derived from agriculture has a potential of reducing poverty annually by 1.66% as compared to 0.73% poverty reduction expected from non-agricultural sector. Agriculture, particularly crop farming, has a greater effect on both the rural and the urban poor who spend more than a half of their incomes on food. When there are different seed sources available and farmers get access to them there is high probability of adoption of improved varieties .An enhanced seed availability though formal or informal or both sources will improve smallholder farmer’s access to seed and enhance improved variety adoption. In practice, whenever a farmer is talking about getting a new seed it implies that she or he is deciding to adopt a new variety. The ultimate goal of a farm household in a risk prone agro-ecology is to obtain seed with characteristics suitable to farmers’ agro-ecological and socio-economic condition. Similarly, seed is pivotal in the improvement of food security and farm household livelihood.

This article examines contemporary challenges of formal seed sector participation for resource-poor farmers in Tharaka and engages in a wider discussion of national seed policy and formal seed sector development in Kenya. While many farmers reported utilising modern seed varieties developed by the formal seed sector, the majority of these were introduced through seed aid and maintained through seed saving, supporting seed system integration strategies. Building on these findings, the article discusses ways in which national seed policy in Kenya might be refined to better meet national and regional development goals focused on decreasing the incidence of hunger and poverty.

Subsistence Bhutanese farmers spread across different agro-ecological zones maintain large species and varietal diversity of different crops in their farm. However, no studies have been undertaken yet to assess why farmers conserve and maintain large agro-biodiversity, the extent of agro-ecological richness, species richness, estimated loss of traditional varieties and threats to the loss of on-farm agro-biodiversity. Information on the number of varieties cultivated by the farmers for six important staple crops were collected from nine districts and twenty sub-districts spread across six different agro-ecological zones of the country to understand farmers reasons for maintaining on-farm crop diversity, estimate agro-ecological richness, species richness and the overall loss of traditional varieties, to know the famers’ level of awareness on climate change and the different threats to crop diversity. The results from this study indicated that an overwhelming 93% of the respondents manage and use agro-biodiversity for household food security and livelihood. The average agro-ecological richness ranged from 1.17 to 2.26 while the average species richness ranged from 0.50 to 2.66. The average agro-ecological richness indicates a large agro-ecological heterogeneity in terms of the different species of staple crops cultivated. The average species richness on the other hand shows that agro-ecological heterogeneity determines the type and extent of the cultivation of the six different staple cereals under consideration. The overall loss of traditional varieties in a time period of 20 years stands at 28.57%. On climate change, 94% of the farmers recognize that local climate is changing while 86% responded that they are aware of the potential impacts of climate change on their livelihoods. Climate change and associated factors was considered the most imminent threat to the management and loss of on-farm agro-biodiversity. The results from this study indicate that on-farm agro-biodiversity conservation, development and utilization programs have to be more specific to the different agro-ecological zones considering the agro-ecological heterogeneity. Attention has to be given to individual crops that have low average species richness and high percentage of loss of traditional varieties. The impact of climate change could offset the traditional seed system which primarily supports the persistence of on-farm agro-biodiversity in several ways.

Findings of study related to seed and seed initiatives in seven districts encompassing different classes of seed systems have been explained. Source seed produced by public and private institutions in Nepal is illustrated to make proper analogue as to how seed systems could be made practically functional. SWOT analysis of important seed systems is compared in issues pertaining to seed systems in Nepal. Information received from the seed related stakeholders has been analyzed to draw the inference covering different seed system initiatives in Nepal. On the basis of scientific evidences collected from concerned stakeholders from cross section of study districts on various issues of seed, recommendations have been proposed to make effective seed systems by amalgamation of available seed production initiatives under single funneled seed system that could be implemented to sustain food security and enhanced productivity of crops in general and major food crops in particular in Nepal. Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN) Vol. 3. 2013, Page 1-10 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajn.v3i0.8981

The Second Strategic Meeting of the Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21) was held at The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, Bellagio, Italy, November 2–5, 2010, and was attended by 30 researchers from 14 countries dedicated to the genetic improvement of cassava. GCP21 was created in 2002, when many of the world’s leading cassava researchers gathered at The Bellagio Center to create a partnership dedicated to leveraging the tools of modern biotechnology and plant breeding to make cassava a more productive and resilient crop. GCP21’s goal is to enhance global food security, sustainable production, and economic opportunity for millions of people though the development and deployment of improved cassava varieties. Its purpose is to improve coordination between cassava researchers and breeders and to ensure their work is responsive to the needs of consumers, processors, markets, and good agronomic practices. Two objectives of priority to GCP21 are

Agricultural risk management is a central issue that Mozambique faces in development, and multiple stakeholders have analyzed this challenge, sometimes with different terminology and focusing on varying aspects. The government of Mozambique has adopted the strategic plan for agricultural development (PEDSA 2010-19) that focuses on: (i) increasing the availability of food in order to reduce hunger through growth in small producer productivity and emergency response capacity; (ii) enlarging the land area under sustainable management and the number of reliable water management systems; (iii) increasing access to the market through improved infrastructures and interventions in marketing; and (iv) improving research and extension for increased adoption of appropriate technologies by producers and agro-processors. The World Bank’s agriculture sector risk assessment takes a holistic approach and relies on long time-series historical data to arrive at an empirical and objective assessment of agricultural risks and their impacts on Mozambique. This assessment will form the basis of the second step, solution assessment, whose final findings will inform National Investment Plan for the Agrarian Sector in Mozambique (PNISA). This document considers the many aspects of assessing risk in the Mozambican agriculture sector. Chapter one gives introduction and context. Chapter two introduces the major characteristics of the agricultural system leading into chapter three, which presents a comprehensive picture of the risks that exist in the sector. Chapter four, in quantifying the risks that have been observed, comments on the losses that have been incurred by the sector because of production risks, whereas chapter five provides a qualitative discussion of how risk has an effect on the different stakeholders present in the sector. Chapter six delves into the risk prioritization carried out by the team and then comments on various management measures. The report concludes with chapter six, in which recommendations are provided for improving risk management in Mozambique.

Across East Africa, national seed policies and commercial seed enterprises have focused on increasing farmers’ access to modern seed varieties. These new varieties are developed and delivered to farmers via the formal seed system, which is comprised of government and private sector seed breeders, processors, and vendors. However, the formal seed system only provides a small share (

Seed policies primarily concentrate on the formal seed system, which supplies Sub-Saharan African countries less than 20% of the total seed demand and involves only a limited number of crops and varieties. Seed laws, and the mechanisms and organizations involved in their implementation, are developed with varying degrees of success. We address the limitations of applying a linear model to seed sector development and introduce integrated seed sector development (ISSD). We assess seed systems in Ethiopia, Mali, and Zambia, and demonstrate that one single model cannot address the variations in realities within one country or the continent. ISSD provides opportunities for taking a pluralistic approach in strengthening multiple seed systems, and has the potential to combine objectives targeting food security, agricultural development, promoting entrepreneurship, and contributing to biodiversity management. We elaborate pathways for ISSD-guided policies that include variety release, seed quality management, and plant breeders' rights.

Africa lacks a steady supply of good quality seed due in part to lack of timely development and conveyance of seed technologies to farmers. This study evaluated the performance of national seed systems of five countries in eastern and southern Africa where a consortium of public-private organizations are implementing the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project. WEMA aimed at developing and deploying drought-tolerant and insect-pest-protected maize hybrids (climate-smart hybrids) to smallholder farmers royalty-free. The objectives of the study were to assess the main components of the seed maize systems, their institutional frameworks, and estimate the potential demand for WEMA climate-smart hybrid maize seed to guide in upscaling the seed technology to other African countries. Primary data was gathered from key experts in the seed maize value-chain of each country. Secondary data came from national statistics bureaux to estimate the potential demand for WEMA seed maize. Results showed that farmers in all five countries except South Africa overwhelming rely on the informal seed system. The formal seed system is over-regulated creating unnecessary delays in the release and commercialization of improved seed varieties. It also increases the cost of developing new seed technology. Except South Africa, the demand for seed maize in the other four WEMA countries will grow by 4.1% annually from 31,614 to 35,863 metric tons of certified seed over 2014-2020 period. The study advances several recommendations to improve the efficiency of the seed maize systems, which when implemented, will undoubtedly improve food security in Africa.

Agriculture in Tanzania accounts for 28 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 80 percent of its labor force. The sector is also an important source of export revenues. The data and findings presented in this report provide a summary of the performance of the agriculture sector in Tanzania using a set of indicators covering six areas. These are: 1) access to and availability of certified seed; 2) availability of and access to fertilizer; 3) access to farm machinery, particularly tractor hire services for land preparation; 4) access to agricultural and agro-enterprise finance; 5) the cost and efficiency of transporting agricultural commodities; and 6) measures of policy certainty and uncertainty as perceived by private investors and the effects these have on the enabling environment for producers and agribusinesses. The Agribusiness Indicators (ABI) team conducted interviews with Government agencies, private firms (fertilizer importers, seed companies, tractor importers and distributors, transporters), commercial banks, farmer-based organizations, donors, and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The ABI program is pilot testing an initial set of indicators on the ease (or difficulty) of operating agribusinesses in African countries. The indicators are used to assess whether the countries have an enabling environment that is conducive to agribusiness investment, competitiveness, and ultimately agriculture-led growth.

Because agriculture is the economic backbone of most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, any meaningful sustainable development program in the continent must therefore be anchored in the sector. The concept for this study on agribusiness indicators was based on the vital role that agribusiness plays in agricultural development. The study focuses on agribusiness indicators (ABI) to identify and isolate the determining factors that lead private investors and other stakeholders to participate in agribusiness and to engage in discourse regarding its development. A more thorough empirical understanding of these determinants in turn can usefully inform the types of policy reforms that can promote agribusiness in Africa. In Ethiopia, the ABI team focused on the following success factors: a) access to critical factors of production of certified hybrid seeds, fertilizer, and mechanical input; b) enabling environment in terms of access of credit and transportation; and c) government expenditures on agriculture, and trade and regulatory policies that currently influence the agribusiness environment. The factors and indicators that the research team has included in this study are not exhaustive but rather are intended to serve as a pilot that could be scaled up to include more variables and countries. The findings of the study revealed the dominant role of the government in the seed and fertilizer markets. In the seed sub-sector, perennial shortages of both basic and certified seeds have greatly limited agricultural productivity in Ethiopia.

Public sector seed programs in most sub-Saharan African countries targeted the dissemination of quality seed of improved varieties in the 1970 and '80s, assuming that the informal seed system would disappear. The orientation in 1990s shifted toward withdrawal of the public sector, promoting privatization and liberalization of the seed market. The informal seed system remained dominant. Integrated seed sector development aims to better link informal and formal seed systems, and balance public and private sector involvement. It explores variation among seed value chains, with the aim of making seed programs and policies more coherent with farmers' practices and more effective at reaching food security.

The use of quality seed is a major component of increased yields in crop production. Quality seed and seed programs in a country does not emerge by happenstance; it is created by a combination of many factors that include variety development, seed production, quality control, processing, marketing, and governmental oversight. As the seed sector in a country matures, each of these factors becomes more important and plays a more important role in the growth of the agricultural sector. The seed program in Cambodia is interestingly different from that in many other developing countries. Even without a true seed program in Cambodia, farmers understand the need to plant quality seed to increase crop yields. When structuring this growing seed industry, it is important to look at current practices and to incorporate these practices into programs. Since a major thrust of the seed program in Cambodia involves rice, it is important to consider its role in the average Cambodian’s life. Cambodia’s climate must also be accounted for in any decisions regarding seed. Its heat and humidity causes rapid deterioration of seed viability and germination in rice and other seeds in both the growth and storage phases. CARDI research has shown that the level of rice germination falls below 80-85 percent within 6-8 months after harvest; this means that seed must be planted during the growing season following harvest. Therefore, any seed produced beyond immediate planting needs for the next crop is used for milling; seed production costs for that seed cannot be recouped. When seed producers’ budgets are constrained, they often plan their seed production based on conservative seed sales estimates.

The purpose of this working paper is to help accelerate improvements in seed sector performance by providing a practical framework for reviewing seed sector development strategy in a market economy context. The paper is divided into three major sections. The first section defines what a seed system is and presents a generalized model of the stages of seed sector development over time, identifying the driving forces at each stage. The second part of the paper describes the current organization and performance of Mozambique’s seed sector, concluding with the constraints identified at the first national seed workshop held in Maputo in June 1999. The sector is at present primarily driven by emergency seed supply, most of which is imported., Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Directorate of Economics, Republic of Mozambique

The purpose of this working paper is to help accelerate improvements in seed sector performance by providing a practical framework for reviewing seed sector development strategy in a market economy context. The paper is divided into three major sections. The first section defines what a seed system is and presents a generalized model of the stages of seed sector development over time, identifying the driving forces at each stage. The second part of the paper describes the current organization and performance of Mozambique’s seed sector, concluding with the constraints identified at the first national seed workshop held in Maputo in June 1999. The sector is at present primarily driven by emergency seed supply, most of which is imported., Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Directorate of Economics, Republic of Mozambique

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework that can be used by agricultural leaders, administrators, policy makers, and seed program managers to (1) understand key factors affecting seed system development; and (2) compare organizational and institutional strategies for increasing seed system effectiveness. A literature review of recent studies on seed system development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was undertaken to achieve these objectives. The studies reviewed included published and unpublished reports, monographs, and case studies.

This article highlights 12 years (2007–2019) of research, achievements, lessons learned, challenges and gaps in discovery‐to‐delivery research in legumes emanating from three projects, collectively called Tropical Legumes (TL) with a total investment of about US$ 67 million funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These projects were implemented by three CGIAR centres (ICRISAT, CIAT and IITA) together with 15 national agricultural research system partners in sub‐Saharan Africa and South Asia. The TL projects together with some of their precursors and complementary projects from other agencies, facilitated the development of 266 improved legume varieties and the production of about 497,901 tons of certified seeds of the target legume crops in the focus countries. The certified seeds have been planted on about 5.0 million ha by more than 25 million smallholder farmers in the 15 countries and beyond, producing about 6.1 million tons of grain worth US$ 3.2 billion. Furthermore, the projects also trained 52 next generation scientists that included 10 women, by supporting 34 Masters degrees and 18 PhD degrees.