Seed systems smallholder farmers use

Abstract

Seed can be an important entry point for promoting productivity, nutrition and resilience among smallholder farmers. While investments have primarily focused on strengthening the formal sector, this article documents the degree to which the informal sector remains the core for seed acquisition, especially in Africa. Conclusions drawn from a uniquely comprehensive data set, 9660 observations across six countries and covering 40 crops, show that farmers access 90.2 % of their seed from informal systems with 50.9 % of that deriving from local markets. Further, 55 % of seed is paid for by cash, indicating that smallholders are already making important investments in this arena. Targeted interventions are proposed for rendering formal and informal seed sector more smallholder-responsive and for scaling up positive impacts.

Innovative and beneficial informal sweetpotato seed private enterprise in northern Uganda

“…However, the presence of effective and efficient traders and sellers can contribute strongly to food security, nutrition and welfare aims by connecting often distant farmers and end users. There is, therefore, a need to focus more supportive seed sector interventions towards those systems that reach more farmers on a more sustainable basis, shifting the balance to the informal and away from the formal and NGO-based seed systems (McGuire and Sperling 2016). There has been considerable interest over the last few decades in using informal seed systems to disseminate formallybred varieties (Almekinders et al 1994;Almekinders and Louwaar 2008;Thiele 1999) including sweetpotato (Gibson 2013).…”

“…Seed systems ensuring farmers can access good quality planting material at the right time and of sufficient diversity are the foundation of agriculture, and support higher production, nutrition and resilient food system goals (McGuire and Sperling 2016). To date most of the seed that is commercially available for food crops in developing countries is that of cereals, especially hybrid maize.…”

Understanding root, tuber, and banana seed systems and coordination breakdown: a multi-stakeholder framework

“…The multi-stakeholder framework for intervening in root, tuber, and banana seed systems was developed by the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB) following the core concepts of food security (Riely et al 1999) and building on the seed security framework (Remington et al 2002) and the seed system security assessment (McGuire and Sperling 2016;Sperling 2008). The multi-stakeholder framework for intervening in root, tuber, and banana seed systems allows an analysis of the key seed system functions from the perspectives of all stakeholders, to identify how their different roles mesh together, so that no key functions or players are ignored RTB 2016;Sperling, Ortiz, and Thiele 2013).…”

Accelerating genetic gains in legumes for the development of prosperous smallholder agriculture: integrating genomics, phenotyping, systems modelling and agronomy

“…Besides these challenges, legumes are highly self-pollinated and it is assumed that farmers save their own seed for several seasons and do not need to buy new seed each season, which makes it difficult for seed companies to predict demand for seed. It was, however, reported in 2016 that a significant fraction of legume farmers (64.4%) actually do buy 'seed' or rather grain from local markets (McGuire and Sperling, 2016). However, due to high cost, limited availability, and access, farmers do not buy legume seed from the formal seed sector (seed companies and agrodealers).…”