Seed systems for African food security: linking molecular genetic analysis and cultivator knowledge in West Africa

Abstract

A challenge for African countries is how to integrate new sources of knowledge on plant genetics with knowledge from farmer practice to help improve food security. This paper considers the knowledge content of farmer seed systems in the light of a distinction drawn in artificial intelligence research between supervised and unsupervised learning. Supervised learning applied to seed systems performance has a poor record in Africa. The paper discusses an alternative-unsupervised learning supported by functional genomic analysis. Recent work in West Africa on sorghum, African rice and white yam is described. Requirements for laboratory-based analytical support are outlined. A science-backed 'farmer first' approach-while feasible-will require a shift in policy and funding by major investors.

The Politics of Seed in Africa's Green Revolution: Alternative Narratives and Competing Pathways

“…This is often the premise of relief and recovery programmes for example. But informal systems have been shown to be remarkably resilient Louwaars 2002, 1999), offering high levels of genetic diversity and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances through local innovation systems (Richards et al 2009;Richards 1989Richards , 1986. It is often assumed that poor harvests mean lack of seed availability, but this is often not the case and seed supply persists even following sustained periods of drought or conflict which disrupt food production (Sperling 2008;Sperling et al 2004;Sperling and Longley 2002).…”

Social institutions mediating seed access in West African seed systems

“…Through the lens of modern market-oriented development, the integration of informal and formal seed systems might be surprising, because the persistence of informal access activities and the seeds that are accessed through them fails to maximize yield gains and economic calculations about returns on investment. However, the social institutions that constitute informal seed systems and facilitate access to many types of seeds play other roles for individuals and communities, and reflect the varied priorities that guide agricultural decision-making for farmers in many parts of the world (Richards et al 2009). Identifying and supporting social institutions, like farmer organizations, that can encapsulate multiple values and so play a bridging role across formal and informal systems is necessary to facilitate inclusive and appropriate agricultural development projects and programs.…”

“…The value chain approach to seed system development that focuses on building these and related social institutions is more flexible than earlier versions of market-oriented agricultural development, in large part because the institutions are locally based and can be integrated into other local social institutions. At the same time, because production and economic efficiency still provide the foundational values of these formal seed systems, the social institutions that constitute them remain largely prescriptive, even if more inclusive (Richards et al 2009). …”

Crowdsourcing Crop Improvement in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Proposal for a Scalable and Inclusive Approach to Food Security

“…Scientists could also analyse seed samples with molecular techniques, to provide information that can then be fed back into the system (cf. Richards et al 2009). …”

“…A range of studies shows the potential of African farmers in seed and variety selection. One of the first studies to show that farmers skillfully select seeds was a detailed agricultural ethnography of a village in Sierra Leone by Paul Richards (1986). He described how farmers in Sierra Leone maintain and improve many rice varieties, which they match to local ecologies and take pleasure in playing with diversity.…”