Expanding access to agricultural inputs in Africa: a review of recent market development experience

Kelly, Valerie A.; Adesina, Akinwumi A.; Gordon, Ann

doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2003.08.006

Cited by 120 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The budgetary and practical considerations of reaching large numbers of geographically dispersed heterogeneous smallholders in Africa have rendered public extension services rather ineffective in promoting the adoption of new varieties Tahirou et al 2009). Moreover, public seed distribution programmes can crowd out private investment by discouraging the development of wholesale and retail seed trade networks because farmers become accustomed to the government distributing subsidised or free seed (Kelly et al 2003;Tripp 2000).…”

Section: State Failurementioning

confidence: 99%

Why do maize farmers in Ghana have a limited choice of improved seed varieties? An assessment of the governance challenges in seed supply

2018

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The liberalisation of commercial seed systems has largely been seen as an essential means of improving agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, access to improved seed varieties has remained a major constraint in many countries in spite of liberalisation and other reform efforts. This paper analyses the governance challenges involved in seed systems from a theoretical and an empirical perspective. The paper applies theoretical concepts of New Institutional Economics to identify potential governance challenges involved at the different stages of the seed supply system. The commercial maize seed sector in Ghana is used for an empirical case study. Ghana has passed a seed law that aims to increase the availability of improved seed varieties to farmers by providing more opportunities to the private sector. However, there is still a chronic lack of varietal diversity, indicating that governance challenges in the seed system remain despite the reform efforts. For data collection, a participatory mapping technique known as Process Net-Map was applied, together with expert interviews involving a diverse set of stakeholders. The empirical evidence reveals that, in line with the theoretical considerations, governance challenges indeed affect all stages of the seed supply system. These challenges include limited involvement of smallholders in setting breeding priorities, restricted private sector participation in source seed production, limited ability of an under-resourced public regulatory body to ensure high seed quality through mandatory seed certification and overdependence on a weak public extension system to promote improved varieties. The paper discusses the policy implications of the findings.

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Section: State Failurementioning

confidence: 99%

Why do maize farmers in Ghana have a limited choice of improved seed varieties? An assessment of the governance challenges in seed supply

2018

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“…For these "smallpack" programmes to be successful, governments and manufacturers often need to change legislation or company rules that prohibit breaking down larger packages (World Bank, 2007). For instance, Kenya repealed a law in the early 1990s that prohibited sales of fertilizer in less than 50 kg bags; by 1996, 46% of fertilizer sales to smallholders were in 10 kg bags (Kelly et al, 2003). Authorized re-bagging raises the issue of quality control.…”

Section: Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources in Sub-Saharan African Crop Farming Systems

Ngetich¹,

Shisanya²,

Mugwe³

et al. 2012

Soil Fertility Improvement and Integrated Nutrient Management - A Global Perspective

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“…Biotechnology has been defined as "any technique that uses living organisms, or substances from these organisms, to make or modify a product, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific uses" [2] . No society has advanced without deploying appropriate technology in place to set the pace for addressing its major problems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They include plant tissue culture, genetic engineering and plant molecular markers. These applications range from the simple to the sophisticated and in many cases have been appropriate for use in developing countries [2] . For example, biotechnology techniques such as plant tissue culture have been utilized appropriately for many agronomic and food crops to provide more food and planting materials for farmers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Science of Plant Tissue Culture as a Catalyst for Agricultural and Industrial Development in an Emerging Economy

Aladele¹,

Okere²,

Jamaldinne³

et al. 2012

Recent Advances in Plant in Vitro Culture

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Expanding access to agricultural inputs in Africa: a review of recent market development experience

Cited by 120 publications

References 18 publications

Why do maize farmers in Ghana have a limited choice of improved seed varieties? An assessment of the governance challenges in seed supply

Why do maize farmers in Ghana have a limited choice of improved seed varieties? An assessment of the governance challenges in seed supply

The Potential of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources in Sub-Saharan African Crop Farming Systems

The Science of Plant Tissue Culture as a Catalyst for Agricultural and Industrial Development in an Emerging Economy

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