Demand-side challenges to increase sales of new maize hybrids in Kenya

Abstract

In Eastern and Southern Africa, as the public sector has retreated from maize seed production and the private sector has emerged to fill the resulting void, a key issue for researchers, governments and private donors has been the capacity of privately owned, typically small scale, seed businesses to effectively produce and distribute hybrid seed. Roughly two decades on, research and development programming continues to focus on supply side issues in supporting the maize seed industry to bring new varieties to farmers. Motivated by thinking on agri-food value chains, this article explores the potential for achieving a stronger demand orientation in programming to support the maize seed industry, a requirement for varietal turnover. In 2019 data were collected in Kenya from i) 80 agro-dealers on their relations with seed businesses and their marketing of maize seed, ii) 466 farmers on their seed choice and engagement with agro-dealers and iii) 8 seed companies on their distribution and sales strategies. Results confirmed the overarching supply-push orientation of the industry, characterized by limited innovation and risk taking, weak collaboration between actors, low margins for retailers, and limited investments in seed marketing. Farmers showed weak appetite for acquiring new seed products, preferring instead to purchase seeds that they knew from experience. Better strategies for building seed value chains will require deeper insights on stakeholders needs and strategies, to include the capacity of seed businesses and retailers to innovate in business management and marketing.

Gender inclusivity through maize breeding in Africa: A review of the issues and options for future engagement

“…However, preference studies do not evaluate the extent to which better integrating women's preferences into breeding efforts would increase demand for new maize varieties, drive higher adoption rates among women, or contribute to gender equality. This is particularly uncertain given clear evidence that the vast majority of maize farmers appear uninterested in trying new varieties ( Rutsaert et al, 2021 ). Undoubtedly, breeding efforts that broaden the appeal of improved maize must be paired with seed system interventions to increase the availability of, farmer interest in, and equal access to new gender-intentional offerings.…”

Aflatoxin biocontrol in practice requires a multidisciplinary, long-term approach

“…Even how packages of improved seeds are displayed by agro-dealers influences technology uptake Other reasons include perceived high price, or that the improved seed is of a type not preferred by the farmer and her/his family, and/or the market. There are books and several articles, even programs within institutions, dedicated at understanding and proposing how to disentangle barriers preventing uptake of improved seeds (Langyintuo et al, 2010;Abdoulaye et al, 2018;McEwan et al, 2021;Rutsaert et al, 2021). If there are challenges to have farmers buying seeds that increase yield and/or tolerate various stresses, what are the prospects of farmers paying for products that may increase crop quality, but such higher quality is not visible and for which reward mechanisms are very limited?…”

Emerging concepts in plant breeding and their use for the design of seed delivery and dissemination strategies: a systematic review

“…The term market segments is closely linked to the defini�on of product profiles as it represents a fundamental step of product profiling. The literature refers to market segments as to a group of users, clients or consumers within a market, defined by a rela�vely homogeneous demand for a product or service (Tongoona et al 2017;Orr et al 2018;Rutsaert et al 2021;Williamson and Leonelli, 2023). A market segment is also defined as a group of people or a group of farmers having similar needs and preferences, common constraints and common objec�ve(s) for use of a product (Ragot et al 2018 "a geographic area or a group of people having a relatively homogeneous demand for a commodity (e.g., crop varieties or animal breeds)".…”

“…This includes delivering the right seed desired by farmers at the right quan�ty, in good quality condi�ons, at the right �me, at the right place and price, and with the right agronomic informa�on. Seed delivery systems has similarly been termed seed delivery models (Lalani et al 2019;Nagarajan et al 2021;, seed supply systems (Ferede et al 2019;Akpo et al 2020), seed supply/seed value chains (Ferede et al 2019;Mausch et al 2021;Kuhlmann and Dey, 2021), distribu�on models (Rutsaert et al 2021), distribu�on mechanisms (Barker et al 2020), delivery channels and seed delivery pathways Delivery systems have also schema�cally been conceptualized as one, and the last, of the three main components of the plant breeding and dissemina�on process. It is in this component of the breeding system that new cul�vars are released, scaled up and disseminated to farmers with new varie�es adopted and obsolete ones replaced and withdrawn from produc�on (Atlin et al 2017;Covarrubias-Pazaran et al 2022).…”