Sieglinde Snapp (right), director, Sustainable Agrifood Systems Program, CIMMYT, poses with Mr, and Mrs. Banda, who are part of seed producers who sell seed to fellow farmers. (Photo: CIMMYT)
Smallholder farmers have long been considered purely subsistence producers without the capacity to participate in commercial value chains. This has led to their exclusion from many agribusiness enterprises which typically focus on medium- to large-scale growers.
Through the Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and partners are supporting smallholder farmers to enter viable legume value chains. Soybean is one crop experiencing a rapidly expanding market. This is a unique opportunity for small-scale farmers to access a legume value chain, one that drives sustainable intensified farming for improved income and livelihoods.
In the Kasenengwa District, in eastern Zambia, Josephine Mbewe produces soybean for local oil production and grain traders who export the commodity to neighboring countries like Zimbabwe and Malawi. She is one of many farmers who are benefitting from the Agriculture Development Agent model, a concept that has been developed by CIMMYTâs implementation partner Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and scaled up in the AID-I project.
âFor years we always wanted to produce for the market, but the costs were just too high. In addition, we didnât exactly know who to sell to so this model really helps us as we sell our products locally but knowing that our aggregated produce will go to distant consumers. This model is helping us to have access to high quality inputs such as improved seed, crop chemicals, fertilizers, and other related products,â Mbewe said.
The Agriculture Development Agent model aims to create a consortium of village based agrodealers who double as seed producers multiplying seed and selling it to surrounding farmers. The same dealers buy back the grain and sell it to oil pressing companies and export commodity trading companies.
The AID-I project scales promising innovations with proven ability to address some of the systemic constraints that have discouraged agribusinesses from engaging with smallholder farmers.
âThis is a model that is leveraged on community social capital where trust exists between the ADA and the local farmer,â said James Nguluwe from CRS. âIssues related to seed diversion or side marketing of the harvested crop are kept at a bare minimum as farmers donât want to spoil their relationship with the Agriculture Development Agent and their general reputation within the community.â
âThe model is also catalytic to the use of improved seed as farmers have to produce using a particular seed type. The interactions with ADA over soya seed, production and reverse purchase set up has seen the farmers extending to procure improved maize varieties as well, as opposed to times past where they would recycle seed and reap poor harvests,â he said.
Paitana Mwanza, an ADA agreed and spoke of his positive experiences of the model.
âI have had no contractual breach with the farmers. When they buy the seed, we agree on a separate grain buy back arrangement â the farmers have always delivered as per agreement.â
For years, farmers have been growing recycled seed and use of improved seed has been very uncommon among smallholder farmers. Having a financial incentive where ADAs provide an assured market is proving to be a good enough incentive to facilitate behavioral change.
Agribusiness agents face high costs associated with aggregation of produce, which the Agriculture Development Agent model overcomes. Farmers are organized and supported by ADAs, who are registered market players that have been extensively trained in business practices, seed handling and seed and grain production. As such, both grain traders and processors can make a realistic profit through this innovative system that facilitates small-scale farmers accessing new markets.
One of the key objectives of the AID-I project is to ensure that participating in market systems is a choice for smallholder farmers and exclusion from viable value chains is a thing of the past. The Agriculture Development Agent model promises to transform not only eastern Zambia but the whole country at large.
Techno-Nejat owner Usman Abdella, operations manager Ali Mussa, and GIZ project manager Ralf Barthelmes with a recently completed seed cleaner at Techno-Nejat workshop in Adama, Ethiopia. (Photo: Adane Firde)
In many sub-Saharan countries, including Ethiopia, smallholder farmers of legume, wheat, and maize struggle to maintain their own food security, produce higher incomes, and promote economic growth and jobs in agricultural communities.
As farmers, fabricators, and aid workers collaborate to move forward on this problem, innovative solutions are moving out into the field â and generating new ideas across the continent.
Where are machines for small farmers?
Machines tailored to local needs and conditions can often make a big differenceâbut most agricultural technology is designed and produced to meet the requirements of massive, commercial farms. To help close this gap, Green Innovations Centers (GIC) work to connect smallholding farmers with locally produced technology that can transform their business, their family lives, and their local economies.
Launched in 2014 by Germanyâs Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Developmentâs special initiative, ONE WORLD No Hunger, the GIC collaborate with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to increase agricultural mechanization in 14 countries in Africa and two in Asia.
Technician at Techno-Nejat workshop, Adama, Ethiopia. (Photo: Adane Firde)
The need for seed
Informal seed systems, in which farmers save and reuse seed, and exchange low quality seed with other farmers, are prevalent among Ethiopian smallholder farmers. Seed cleaning plays an important role in helping farmers build high-yielding seed development systems by removing seed pods and other chaff, eliminating seeds that are too small or infected, and refining the seeds to a high-quality remainder.
After GIC staff in Ethiopia identified seed cleaning as a critical need for smallholding farmers in the country, researchers set out to develop a solution that was affordable, sustainable, and adaptable to local demands.
Local machines for local farmers
In 2022, GIC Ethiopia partnered with Techno-Nejat Industries in Adama, Ethiopia, to design and produce a first run of mobile seed cleaners for use by smallholding farmers across the country. Techno-Nejat has an established track record in agricultural fabrication and was eager to take on the new collaboration.
In early March, the company completed the initial delivery of eight seed cleaners. The machines process chickpea, soy, wheat, and barley seed with a maximum capacity of 1.5 tons per hour. With wheels and a compact, efficient design, they are also easy to move from one farmerâs property to another. At a cost of US $7,500 and a production time of 55 days, the machines have potential both for expansion within Ethiopia and scaling up for export.
Mr. Zogo, owner of Techno Agro Industrie in Benin, with Ali Mussa, Adama, Ethiopia. (Photo: Adane Firde)
Seeding future collaboration
Smallholding farmer cooperatives will take delivery of the first eight seed cleaners in the coming weeks. And while Ethiopian farmers are ready to experience the immediate benefits for their operations, this innovation is also showing promise for additional collaboration.
âThrough existing GIC networks, we have connected with Techno Agro Industrie, a company manufacturing seed cleaners in Benin,â said Techno-Nejatâs owner Usman Abdella. âWe welcome partnership opportunities, and we extend the red carpet,â Usman said.
As funding for GICâs mechanization effort winds down, this organic, private Ethiopia-Benin partnership holds promise to generate continued benefits of innovation after the project has concluded, fostering South-South collaboration within Africa.
Stewards Global, trading as Afriseed, is a Zambia seed systems intervention success story. Thanks to support from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and other partners such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Afriseed is transforming rural farmersâ livelihoods through supplying drought tolerant maize seed.
What began as a start-up in 2007 has since grown to be one of the leading companies in Zambiaâs seed industry. âI started this company with a team of three people. We did not have much, but we had a compelling vision,â says founder Stephanie Angomwile. âInitially, we were multiplying and distributing legume seed to the market as we had observed the deficit where it was very difficult for any serious farmer to procure improved and high-performing seed.â
âHaving set up the business, we were fortunate to get AGRAâs support to secure proper industrial premises where we could focus our operations and serve the Zambian market,â she explains. âUsing a basic drum seed dresser, we were able to churn out 100 metric tons of seed per season, which was quite impressive considering how rudimentary our equipment was.â
At this point, USAID bought into their vision and furnished Afriseed with a processing plant that could handle, sort, treat, and package seeds for both legume and maize. The company then pivoted to working with maize seed, based off the observation that most farmers were obtaining yields lower than the genetic potential of existing varieties.
âTo do so, Â it was quite clear that we needed an institution that could help us break into the maize seed industry dominated by large multinational seed companies,â Angomwile explains. âThis led us to partner with CIMMYT, which is a partnership that still exists today and has enabled us to accelerate our market penetration strategy through providing us with high-performing drought-tolerant genetics which are growing in popularity among farmers.â
Stephanie Angomwile gives a tour to representatives from the USAID special envoy and CIMMYT during a visit to Afriseed. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
The impact of CIMMYT support
Since 2017, CIMMYT has been working with Afriseed to help smallholder farmers access new and improved varieties that are drought-tolerant and can withstand seasonal weather variations induced by climate change. âAs CIMMYT, our role is not only to breed improved genetic material that farmers can take up, but also to support business development for the private sector through intensive capacity building programs that position such entities to be sustainable and to excel in the absence project support,â explains Hambulo Ngoma, an agricultural economist working with CIMMYT. The organization has provided Afriseed with two high performing varieties so far: AFS 635 and AFS 638. In addition, CIMMYT has supported Afriseed in stimulating demand within the smallholder farmer market through facilitating the establishment of demonstration plots and designing targeted seed marketing strategies.
During CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaertsâ recent visit to Zambia, Ngoma highlighted that the organization is aware that small-to-medium enterprises may be constrained with regards to marketing budgets and market development investments. âAs such, when we are convinced that there is a business case and an opportunity for a food security transformation, we usually support promising entities such as Afriseed with knowledge and resources to stimulate demand,â he said. âThis is of extreme importance as farmers growing old, recycled seed from ancient varieties need to transition to new, improved varieties.â
Govaerts said, âWe are happy we could contribute to the success of Afriseed in our own small way and we hope our partnership will take you to the next level.â
Afriseed has since grown and now comprises nearly 200 workers: 90 permanent staff and 110 casual workers during the peak season. Production has surged to an excess of 10,000 metric tons per season and there is a growing customer base stretching throughout all regions of the country. Angomwile is very grateful to have had a partner like CIMMYT, which facilitated Afriseedâs membership to the International Maize Consortium (IMC), a global body that provides access to an expanded genetic pool bringing exposure to new genetic gains. âBeing a member of IMC is definitely an advantage for us as an entity because the seed supply market is highly competitive,â she explains. âSo, we can now quickly become aware of the new genetic materials available and ask our research and development team â established through the immense support from CIMMYT â to develop new varieties for our target market.â
Through a series of exchange visits and trainings, CIMMYT has mentored the research and development team who are now in a position to breed their own varieties without external support. âThe number of farmers in high potential areas that are remotely located that are still growing recycled seed is still quite large,â says Peter Setimela, a seed systems specialist who was part of the mentoring team. âWe need to continuously render extensive support to entities such as Afriseed such that the seed quality deficiency gap can be greatly reduced.â
As the rains have been in abundance during this 2022/23 season, there is high anticipation that farmers who have grown seed from reputable seed suppliers such as Afriseed, are set for a bumper harvest.
Cover photo: Afriseed staff preparing legume seeds for processing in Zambia. (Photo: Agricomms)
CIMMYT scientists and private sector partners photographed during a dinner hosted by CIMMT Director General Bram Govaerts in Lilongwe, Malawi. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
Goal 17 of the United Nationsâ Sustainable Development Goals calls to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) answered this call to action by recently hosting a collaborative dinner to strengthen ties between the Center, the private sector and government partners in Malawi.
Hosted by CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts, the dinner followed a visit by US Special Envoy for Global Food Security Cary Fowler, Dina Esposito, Assistant to the Administrator, USAID Bureau of Resilience and Food Security and other USAID staff to discuss and witness the new Accelerated Innovation for Delivery Initiative (AID-I) in action.
âThe challenges of today do not require a single sector approach but a pluralistic one in which partners from the private, public sectors agree to work hand in hand with science for impact organizations like CIMMYT and other CGIAR centers,â said Govaerts in his keynote address at the event. âI am very grateful for your support and your presence today is a testimony or our harmonious solidarity and spirit of collaboration in addressing food and nutrition security.â
Govaerts engages with government and agro industry captains in a dinner hosted in Lilongwe, Malawi. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
The meeting was attended by seed industry players, agricultural input distributors, food processors and Government representatives including Director of Agriculture Research Services Grace Kaudzu, who expressed her appreciation for the gathering.
âAs government, our role is to create an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and progressive development partners are always welcome. Such gatherings enable us to hear the needs of colleagues and partners from other sectors to create this environment,â she said.
Malawi has established an ambitious roadmap where legume exports and maize production are to be significantly scaled up. The AID-I project dovetails with this roadmap as it focuses on strengthening maize and legume seed systems and addressing systemic constraints in both value chains.
The dinner further facilitated private sector players to meet various CIMMYT specialists ranging from seed system experts, soil scientists, breeders and plant physiologists. According to Peter Setimela, a seed system specialist at CIMMYT, such meetings are critical as they enable a diversity of partners to know what the other has to offer.
âCIMMYT has a lot of expertise which these private sector partners can take advantage of,â Setimela said.
The AID-I project seeks to scale up existing and high potential innovations, technologies and business models as opposed to initiating new ones. This only makes sense considering that the implementation period is only two years and scaling up existing innovations give greater prospects for success.
CIMMYT Regional Representative Moses Siambi labelled the event a success citing the huge turnout of the partners.
âThe effectiveness of our interventions is dependent on the strength of the relationships we have with our partners. Such a massive attendance is indicative of cordial relations between CIMMYT and the private sector in conjunction with the government,â Siambi said.
Govaerts closed the event by stressing that through harnessing the potential of convening power, the future is bright regardless of the reality of climate change and geopolitical conflicts.
A section of key speakers at the Drylands Legumes and Cereals Network Meeting in Accra, Ghana in January 2023. (Photo: Eagle Eye Projects)
The formation of regional crop improvement networks took center stage at a meeting held in January 2023 in Accra, Ghana. The meeting convened more than 200 scientists and stakeholders in dryland crops value chains from 28 countries from Africa and across the globe to co-design a network approach.
The meeting followed a series of consultative visits and discussions between three CGIAR research centers â the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) â African National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs), and other common-visioned partners during 2021 and 2022. These earlier discussions gathered insights, brainstormed, and co-designed approaches to empower national programs to deliver impact through their crop improvement programs.
âThe idea is to add value to the existing capacities in National Agricultural Research and Extension Services, through networks where the partners agree on the goals and resources needed to achieve desired outcomes. So, itâs really a collaborative model,â said Harish Gandhi, breeding lead for dryland legumes and cereals at CIMMYT. He added that the teams have been learning from and aiming to add value to existing models such as the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), USAID Innovation Labs, and Innovation and plant breeding in West Africa (IAVAO).
Paradigm shift for African National Agricultural Research Institutes
Making the opening remarks, Ghana Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Director General, Paul Bosu said that at the very least, African countries should aim to feed themselves and transition from net importers to net exporters of food. âDryland legumes and cereals, especially millet and sorghum, are very well adapted to the continent and offer great opportunity towards achieving food securityâ, said Bosu. He applauded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners for investing in research on these crops.
Representing West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), Ousmane Ndoye noted that research in dryland legumes and cereals is a valid and needed action amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in different parts of the world. He added that the first and crucial step to increasing food production especially in sub-Saharan Africa is the availability of sufficient quantities of seed.
Director General of Ugandaâs National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO), Ambrose Agona observed that a paradigm shift should occur for desired transformation in agriculture. He noted that African governments ought to commit adequate budgets to agriculture and that seed funding should serve to complement and amplify existing national budgets for sustainability.
He commended efforts to consult NARIs in Africa and noted that the quality of ideas exchanged at the meeting strengthen the work. âThe NARIs feel happier when they are consulted from the very beginning and contribute to joint planning unlike in some cases where the NARIs in Africa are only called upon to make budgets and are excluded from co-designing projectsâ, said Agona.
Participants following the proceedings at the Drylands Legumes and Cereals Network Meeting in Accra, Ghana in January 2023. (Photo: Eagle Eye Projects)
Challenge to deliver effectively
During his remarks at the meeting, CIMMYT Director General Bram Govaerts noted that the focus legume and cereal crops are key to transforming and driving diversification of food systems in Africa. âIt is therefore an honor and a privilege to work together with partners to improve cereal and legume systems. We will put forward our experience in breeding and commit to innovative systems approaches towards achieving impact and leverage what we are already good at, to become even better,â said Govaerts.
Referencing his visit with the United States Special Envoy for Global Food Security Cary Fowler to Southern Africa in January 2023, Govaerts narrated witnessing firsthand a food, energy and fertilizer crisis impacting Zambian and Malawian farmers. He challenged the meeting participants to envision the future impact they would like to see their breeding programs have as they design and strategize at the meeting. He pointed out that farmers are more interested in the qualities and characteristics of varieties released than the institutions responsible for the release.
CIMMYT Global Genetic Resources Director and Deputy Director General, Breeding and Genetics, Kevin Pixley also underscored the need to generate more impact through adoption of improved varieties in Africa. Pixley noted that on average, fewer than 30 percent of farmers are using improved varieties of sorghum, millet, and groundnut across the countries with ongoing work.
The meeting heard One CGIARâs commitment to deliver resilient, nutritious and market preferred varieties as part of its Genetic Innovation Action Area, alongside improving systems and processes for sustainability from CGIAR Senior Director Plant Breeding and Pre-Breeding, John Derera. Speaking in the capacity of IITAâs Breeding Lead, Derera noted the progress made in IITA cowpea breeding program, including its modernization, owing to strong partnerships, cross learning and germplasm exchange between institutions.
PABRA Director & Leader of the Bean Programme at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Jean-Claude Rubyogo, pointed out that despite remarkable achievements, such as those witnessed in the bean research, more effort is needed to tackle the challenges of climate change and also increase understanding of consumers traits.
Commenting on innovative pathways to improve adoption of improved varieties, the Director General of the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) in Zaria, Nigeria, Mohammad Ishiyaku observed the tendency for some seed companies to continue selling specific seed varieties for years, even when the productivity of the variety is low. He noted the seed companies always claimed consumer preferences concluding then that amidst investor demands, breeders ought to keenly investigate the expectations of consumers and famers to arrive at the best parameters for breeding choices.
A group photo of over 200 scientists and stakeholders in dryland crops value chains that participated at the Drylands Legumes and Cereals Network Meeting in Accra, Ghana in January 2023. (Photo: Eagle Eye Projects)
High-level statements on approaches to gender integration in agricultural research and development were delivered by Scovia Adikini, NARO millet breeder, Geoffrey Mkamillo, Director General of Tanzaniaâs Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Francis Kusi of Ghanaâs Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), and Aliou Faye, Director of Senegalâs Regional Center of Excellence on Dry Cereals and Associated Crops (CERAAS).
AVISA Achievements
Finally, this meeting marked the transition from the recently ended Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Systems in Africa (AVISA) project to align with One CGIAR initiatives under the Genetic Innovation Action Area, with specific focus on dryland crops.
Solomon Gyan Ansah, the Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana, acknowledged the success of AVISA Project and commended the forumâs efforts to build on the gains made by the project in developing the new approach.
âBy the end of 2022, AVISA project partners had reached 4.8 million farmers with 30,600 metric tons of seed of improved legume and cereal varieties, covering almost one million hectares of landâ, revealed Chris Ojiewo, Strategic Partnerships and Seeds Systems Lead. Other achievements supported by the AVISA Project include upgrading of NARES facilities and building capacities of researchers through short- and long-term trainings.
The meeting was hosted by Ghana Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Ghanaâs Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), and was organized by CIMMYT, in partnership with IITA and the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT (ABC).
The CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence represents a new effort to engage social scientists, crop breeding teams and others to work together toward the design and implementation of a demand-led breeding approach. (Photo: Susan Otieno/CIMMYT)
What is ‘Market Intelligence’?
Strategies for breeding and seed systems to deliver greater impact will benefit from reliable and comparable evidence on the needs and requirements of farmers, processors and consumers. This includes anticipating how farmers may respond to emerging threats and opportunities in light of seed-sector and product-market evolution and the changing environment. Experts generally agree that âdemand-led breedingâ will be essential to achieve more impact from investments in crop breeding. But the continued interest in a demand-led approach to the design of varieties and the prioritization of breeding pipelines requires reliable, comparable and timely market intelligence. It also requires new mechanisms for how market intelligence is collected, shared and discussed with those engaged in the design and funding of breeding pipelines and seed systems.
Over the past 25 years, social science researchers from CGIAR, NARES and universities have generated important insights on the traits and varieties farmers prefer. These farmer preferences for traits and varieties have been explored through household surveys, participatory rural appraisals and participatory varietal selection. More recently, economists have employed tools such as choice experiments, experimental auctions and gamification of farmer priority traits. Overall, a large body of work has emerged, but variations in research questions, methodologies and interventions have contributed to disparate research findings and limited the opportunities for consolidation and comparative analyses.
Looking ahead, a strategic opportunity to guide more impactful investments in crop breeding and seed systems development lies in:
designing a consistent approach for generating and disseminating market intelligence
coordinating research across CGIAR and NARES to deliver timely market intelligence;
establishing processes for coordination across social science teams and among social science, crop modelers, CGIAR-NARES networks and the private sector.
The CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence (âMarket Intelligenceâ for brevity) represents a new effort to engage social scientists, crop breeding teams and others to work together toward the design and implementation of a demand-led breeding approach.
Within this initiative, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) leads Work Package 1, âMarket Intelligenceâ, which is responsible for the design of innovative methods and tools to collect market intelligence and the application of these tools across different regions and crops relevant for CGIAR breeding. The Work Package engages either other CGIAR centers and external partners, such as CIRAD and the World Vegetable Center. An early, but critical, challenge facing the Work Package team was how to disseminate in an accessible and timely manner market intelligence to breeding teams, funders, and the private sector.
Market Intelligence Briefs
Traditionally, researchers from CGIAR, NARES and universities who have sought to inform crop breeding and seed systems programming have done so by publishing their work in reputable international peer-reviewed journals. However, the process can be slow, potentially requiring multiple revisions over years. The practical nature of market intelligence research can limit its relevance for journal editors who are looking to push theoretical debates forward. Thus, for Market Intelligence to deliver on its promise, new ways of communicating will be essential. In looking to address these limitations, work package 1 has led the design and implementation of a new publication series called Market Intelligence Briefs (MIB). Each brief is reviewed by peers, is concise (less than 4000 words), avoids technical jargon, and attempts to present conclusions in a clear and decisive manner. In 2022 the first two editions of the MIB series were published, both led by CIMMYT researchers and available online.
This brief defines several important concepts that, when taken together, form the basic framework used by the Initiative to generate comparable and useful market intelligence. Some of the definitions are inspired by previous work on demand-led breeding, while others build on work by CGIARâs Excellence in Breeding (EiB) platform. A confusing set of terms and definitions has emerged around market intelligenceâa field rooted in commercial product innovationâwith different terms and definitions for similar concepts. In the interest of clear communication and understanding among those engaged in crop breeding, seed systems and social science, this brief presents key concepts and definitions that have been discussed extensively during the initial months of implementation of Market Intelligence. We conclude the brief with reflections on the way forward for implementation.
The second brief zooms into the maize market segments in East Africa and proposes a new methodology for gathering insights from farmers about their varietal preferences to inform future market segmentation. This brief explains the conceptual and methodological underpinnings of Video-based Product Concept Testing (VPCT) and presents an application of the tool in hybrid maize. Seven new product concepts (representing potential future market segments) were identified based on discussions with breeders, seed companies and farmers, which we labelled: home use, intercropping, drought avoidance, nutritious, feed (yellow), green maize and food and fodder. These future concepts, together with the resilient benchmark product concept (the current breeding target), were evaluated through triadic comparisons with 2400 farmers in Kenya and Uganda. The results showed that concepts focused on agronomic performance were preferred over concepts focused on end use characteristics, but that diversity in farming practices can lead to different seed preferences.
Looking ahead
In 2023, several briefs will be published from scientists working in the market intelligence initiative and various partners of Market Intelligence from outside the CGIAR. An on-line repository for these briefs is being designed now. Future briefs will cover a variety of topics, from competition in maize seed markets in Kenya (based on a two year study that tracked seed sales at the retail level), methods for assessing the demand for future step-change innovations in genetic innovations, and preferences for future groundnut seed products in Tanzania, considering the needs of farmers and processors. We believe that these briefs will become a valuable communication tool to support informed decision making by crop breeders, seed system specialists, and donors on future priorities and investments by CGIAR, NARS, the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
This project received funding from the Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat project (AGG) [INV-003439], funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Foundation for Food & Agricultural Research (FFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Farmers pose with the drought-tolerant seed of their choice at a seed fair in Masvingo district, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
The long-term climate outlook for sub-Saharan Africa predicts more erratic rainfalls and higher temperatures. For this reason, the rapid uptake of measures to adapt to climate change within seed systems is of paramount importance. In Zimbabwe, the adoption of âclimate-smart seed varietiesâ, environmentally-sustainable and scale-appropriate mechanization is critical to reaching zero hunger in the face of climate change. Farmers in Zimbabweâs Masvingo district appear to have embraced this goal. More than 1,000 farmers participated in recent R4/Zambuko climate smart seed and mechanization fairs held in the region on October 11 and 12, respectively.
The fairs were organized by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in partnership with Zimbabweâs Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development. Financial support was provided by the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the World Food Programme (WFP). With the onset of the 2022/2023 cropping season, the new OneCGIAR Ukama Ustawi initiative will build upon this work to reach thousands more farmers in the area.
One highlight of the fairs was a strong focus on smallholder mechanization, which saw Zimbabwean and international mechanization companies displaying their products. Each demonstrated two-wheel tractors and a range of attachments, from trailers to crop production and harvesting implements. In the words of the District Development Coordinator (DDC) Kenneth Madziva, âItâs important that farmers own machinery that is appropriate to their context as we now need to move into an era of high productivity and efficient post-harvest processing. We also see some of the machinery on display quite relevant for conservation agriculture practices which aligns with the governmentâs Pfumvudza program.â Mechanizing the manual basin planting system in Pfumvudza to ripline seeding will dramatically reduce the farm labor usually needed to dig the basins while maintaining the key principles of conservation agriculture: no-tillage, crop residue retention and crop diversification.
According to Madziva, âSuch initiatives from partners are very welcome, as rural livelihoods are predominantly agriculturally based. There is need to rapidly transition our farmers from a donor dependence to self-sufficiency, hence I am impressed with the number of farmers I have seen buy seed with their own hard-earned money.â The fairs generally strive to achieve two goals: first, ensuring that farmers are well-informed about climate adapted varieties able to withstand climate challenges such as in-season dry-spells and/or heat stress, and, second, that they buy the improved seed directly from private sector partners.
Farmers observe a two-wheel tractor engine being used to power a maize sheller. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)
It is hoped that increasing famersâ exposure to scale-appropriate mechanization will translate into increased purchases of the equipment and a move away from the drudgery of both draft or manual production and processing systems. Robin Vikström, the donor representative from WFP also stated that it is high time for smallholder farmer systems be intensified, and mechanization is one of the essential triggers of intensification.
Vikström, speaking on the significance of the events said, âSuch initiatives are part of a broader national resilience building strategy where our intention is to enable smallholder farmers to deal with climate shocks and stresses through capacity development trainings, diversified crop production systems, effective and well-governed Income Savings and Lending groups (ISALS) and improved livestock. This is a step forward from our tradition of distributing food, which is still necessary in certain contexts, but has to be progressed to self-reliance. The seed and mechanization fairs facilitate stronger interactions between the farmers and the private sector and furthermore the procurement of the right seed and mechanization for their ecological region. More interaction translates to better product development and increased sales which is a win-win for all stakeholders concerned. This is a major step towards sustainable achievement of food and nutrition security.â
Concerning the long-term plan of the intervention, Vikström added, âThe initiative is currently set to run until 2025 with plans already underway to expand to more wards and districts as the development strategy is proving to be yielding significant results.â The seed fairs resulted in the sale of approximately 1.9 metric tons of improved white and orange maize seed, generating over $6,000 in revenue for participating private sector vendors.
Christian Thierfelder, Principal Cropping Systems Agronomist at CIMMYT and Principal Investigator for the program said, âAs we expanded this year to different wards, our objective was to first create an educational platform for farmers where farmers could learn more about the various stress-tolerant seed varieties with improved genetics available from the private sector. Secondly, we wanted to create a selling platform for the private sector where various companies could have their products made much more easily accessible to the smallholder farmers. I am happy that the private sector talked about conservation agriculture, which is an important new narrative. Farmers need to grow the right seed in a good agronomic environment for the crop to succeed.â
Although this crop seasonâs outlook is yet to be officially communicated to farmers, there is high anticipation for a bumper harvest through improved varieties and efficient, mechanized operations and farmers were eager to buy the right seed to reap the benefits of science in their own homestead.
In an article for Mexico Business News, Bram Govaerts, Director General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), provides context for the organization’s seed systems strategy in relation to current challenges in agriculture.
Despite producing roughly 27 million tons of white maize used each year, Mexico imports approximately 18 million tons of yellow maize for fodder and raw material. To reduce reliance on imports, productivity of staple crops needs to be increased, during a time when climate change, conflict, COVID-19 and cost of living are all causing additional pressures.
Developing seeds with high yields and resilience to the impacts of climate change is required to close yield gaps in a sustainable way. However, the needs of smallholders differ from those of commercial farming, so inclusivity in seed systems is essential.
Participants of the IMAGE National Advisory Committee launch event in Ethiopia. (Credit: EIAR)
Coordinating the development and deployment of improved seed varieties is a complex task involving many stakeholders, including government agencies, public and private seed sector organizations, and ultimately, farmers and farmer groups. Cooperation among these groups is vital to assess and measure the impact of improved varieties and to guide decision making for future crop breeding efforts.
The Institutionalizing Monitoring of Crop Variety Adoption using Genotyping (IMAGE) project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by Context Global Development, is a five-year program operating in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ethiopia designed to increase the efficacy of variety deployment by establishing, institutionalizing, and scaling up routine monitoring of improved variety adoption and turnover using genotyping technologies, focusing on wheat, maize, teff, and the common bean.
The International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT), in collaboration with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), launched Ethiopiaâs IMAGE National Advisory Committee (NAC) February 25, 2022, in Addis Ababa.
Feto Esemo, the Director General of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) officially opened the workshop.
Esemo underscored in his opening remarks the NACâs mission to promote the application of DNA fingerprinting for an accurate assessment and understanding of the adoption of improved maize and wheat varieties by small-holder farmers in Ethiopia and resolve data discrepancy among researchers.
The NAC is the highest advisory body for IMAGEâs implementation in Ethiopia and comprises seven institutions: Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ministry of Planning and Development (MPD), Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), EIAR, Central Statistical Agency (CSA), Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (BI), and the Ethiopian Biotechnology Institute (EBI).
Kindie Tesfaye, CIMMYT senior scientist, emphasized the application of DNA fingerprint data on maize and wheat in Ethiopia and summarized the IMAGE Project.
âIMAGE supports inclusive agricultural transformation by providing insights and evidence for seed sector actors to enhance government agency capacity, improve stakeholder coordination, and lead to better resource allocation for varietal development and commercialization,â said Tesfaye.
He added the IMAGE Project provides the opportunity to leverage past monitoring pilots and cross-country lessons while advancing genetic reference libraries, establishing protocol adoption, and building towards institutionalization over five years.
National maize and wheat genotyping studies in Ethiopia proved the feasibility of using DNA fingerprinting for variety monitoring at scale and CIMMYT and EIAR presented the findings to seed system and policy stakeholders with an emphasis on demonstrating how varietal identity based on genotyping compares with farmersâ elicitation, the area-weighted average age of varieties, germplasm attribution, and varietal performance.
Chilot Yirga, Deputy Director-General, Capacity Building and Administration of EIAR, emphasized the functional and structural roles of the National Advisory Committee (NAC), Country Team (CT), and Technical Working Group (TWG) of the project in the country.
EIAR, the Holetta National Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, CSA, and CIMMYT comprise the Country Team.
Yirga also briefed the participants on the details of the Committeeâs mandate and indicated the roles of all stakeholders and policymakers, specifically in DNA fingerprinting.
The workshop concluded by electing a chairperson and vice-chairperson of the committee among its members and co-project leaders from CIMMYT and EIAR.
Hybrid seeds exhibit a significant potential to boost on-farm productivity and attain food security. Still, the availability, affordability and accessibility of such quality seeds remain a challenge for farmers in South Asia. Primarily driven by the demand from the poultry industry, maize productivity in the region is increasing annually. Yet, the hybrid maize seed coverage is below 50% in most South Asian countries.
In continuation of its capacity-building initiatives, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) conducted an International Training Workshop on Quality Hybrid Maize Seed Production and Seed Business Management in South Asia on August 15-18, 2022, in Kathmandu, Nepal. The four-day hybrid training was jointly organized by Nepalâs Seed Quality Control Center, Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), Seed Entrepreneursâ Association of Nepal and CGIARâs Seed Equal Initiative. Primarily, the event aimed at strengthening the capacity of seed stakeholders on the latest advances in quality hybrid maize seed production and establishing competitive hybrid seed business strategies.
Around 60 participants comprising of private seed company owners, national and international seed system specialists, maize breeders, crop inspectors, seed agronomists, marketers, policymakers and researchers working in hybrid seed production and marketing attended the training. Representatives were invited from Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Principal trainer, John MacRobert, shared examples and knowledge in the principles of hybrid maize seed production and seed business. Former principal scientist of CIMMYT, MacRobert is currently the managing director of Mukushi Seeds Pvt Ltd in Zimbabwe and director of Quality Seed Pvt Ltd in South Africa. The training also involved group discussions and exercises on preparing a seed road map as well as developing profitable seed business plans. The participants used a seed business model canvas tool to chart their production plans, develop marketing strategies and diagnose profit. In 2018, MacRobert trained 15 private seed companies from Nepal and Pakistan on hybrid seed business mentorship course in Kathmandu. Since then, the participants brought in and shared rich practical experiences from their own businesses and regulatory organizations during this yearâs program.
Joining MacRobert were 14 national and international experts from CIMMYT and other institutions, who delivered sessions related to hybrid maize breeding principles and techniques, seed quality control measures and regulations, and variety registration and licensing policies and procedures.
The forum offered an excellent learning opportunity for the national and international participants to exchange knowledge and experiences from seed specialists on developing competitive hybrid maize and seed production technologies that will bring cost-efficiency in production and maximize crop yields and business profits. It also served as a ground for establishing networks and collaborations. The mutual learnings will contribute to building national and regional partnerships in the seed sector.
Participants reflected on the learnings and benefits gained from the comprehensive course, which they would apply to improve maize productivity in their respective countries.
Muhammad Aslam, assistant professor from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in Pakistan, acknowledged the opportunity provided to him and his university. He mentioned the support of CIMMYT in Pakistan in strengthening the local maize seed industry, where the market share of local seed companies is gradually increasing due to the elite germplasm support and capacity development efforts by CIMMYT. He added that the practical knowledge gained from the training will enhance the university studentsâ skills.
Attendees at the International Training Workshop on Quality Hybrid Maize Seed Production and Seed Business Management in South Asia. (Credit: Bandana Pradhan/CIMMYT)
An ode to seeds
During the closing session of the training, Govinda Prasad Sharma, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, handed over diverse maize seeds to the NARC and seven private seed company partners of the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project. CIMMYT acquired the elite maize parental lines and breeder seeds from its international maize breeding hubs in Mexico, Zimbabwe, Colombia and India. The seeds have the potential of yielding 6-7 metric tons per hectare for synthetics and more than 10 metric tons for hybridsâa significant increase from 3-5 metric tons of local seeds. More importantly, given the current climate challenges Nepali farmers are facing, these climate-resilient seeds reach maturity earlier than local varieties which reduces their exposure to drought. These seeds will also withstand Fall Armyworm infestations, a devastating pest threatening maize production in Nepal.
âGenetic materials that will not only enhance yield but diversify the gene pool of crops in Nepal is extremely important,â said Lynn Schneider, deputy director of the Economic Growth Office at United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Nepal. âAgriculture must combat climate change and malnutrition, which are critical for the South Asia region. So, I am really proud that we are working on these areas,â shared Schneider.
âFood security is a priority for the Government of Nepal,â explained Sharma. He mentioned maize as an essential commodity from the food and feed perspective for South Asia and plans to collaborate with the private sector and donor organizations to increase maize productivity in the country. âThe event will definitely help in augmenting the activities and accelerate the pathway towards achieving food and feed security,â he added.
Moreover, a certificate of appreciation was presented to Nepalâs National Maize Research Program to recognize their effective collaboration in hybrid maize varietal promotion and source seed distribution. Similarly, three partner seed companies of the project were also recognized for the breakthrough in becoming the first recipients of the Government of Nepalâs research and development license to register and produce hybrid seeds on a commercial basis.
CIMMYT also launched an assessment report on Cereal Seeds Value Chain in Nepal that provides evidence-based recommendations for developing Nepalâs formal cereal seed sector, specifically maize and rice. The publication highlights the need for a well-performing seed system where high-quality seeds of a wide range of varieties and crops are produced and available in time and affordable to farmers.
Deepak Bhandari, executive director of NARC, also congratulated the authors and expressed the significance of formulating and implementing inclusive strategies to build a vibrant seed industry in Nepal. He also acknowledged the event organizers for conducting an exceptional international workshop on hybrid maize seeds for the public and private seed stakeholders.
Cover photo: Training attendees gather to discuss competitive hybrid maize seed production technologies and build relationships with seed systems professionals. (Credit: Bandana Pradhan/CIMMYT)
For certified seed to reach a farmerâs field for cultivation, it passes through many hands â international and national breeding programs, government regulatory agencies, private seed companies, and retailers or agrodealers. These organizations each play an important role in the design, testing, production and distribution of improved maize and wheat varieties.
Together, these processes, actors, and the relationships between them form a seed system, which incorporates the production, conservation, exchange, and use of propagation materials for crops. As defined by the CGIAR Community of Excellence for Seed Systems Development (COE), seed systems are complex, involving arrangements between public and private sectors, layers of regulation, and years of research and development, and are specific to each crop, country, agroecological environment and market context.
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has extensively researched and worked with the facets and actors of cereal seed systems in Latin America, Asia and Africa, specifically in relation to cereal crops, and with maize and wheat in particular.
The role of CIMMYT scientists in supply and demand
Breeding teams use traditional and advanced techniques to identify improved maize and wheat breeding lines according to the desired traits determined by farmers and consumer markets. In addition to higher grain yields, other preferred traits include more and larger grains or fruit, resistance to pests and diseases, tolerance to environment pressures (such as drought or poor soils), better nutritional quality, or flavor and ease of processing.
These lines are used for further breeding, testing, seed multiplication by public and private sector partners. Others engage in varietal testing on farmersâ fields and support seed companies in production.
To foster smallholder farmersâ access to these improved varieties, CIMMYT implements a seed systems strategy divided into supply side development, concerning breeding and seed production, and demand side development, covering issues related to variety distribution and uptake. On the supply side, CIMMYT scientistsâ work is carried out in three phases:
Product development phase: Breeders advance through CIMMYTâs breeding funnel (pipeline) the most promising materials from one improvement stage to the next. The best candidates are first tested in field trials at research stations and then in farmersâ fields. Afterwards, CIMMYT organizes field days to showcase the best performing materials to public and private sector partners.
Product allocation phase: Local partners request new CIMMYT products and sign licensing agreements that protect the new seed from private ownership claims and help accelerate marketing and distribution in target regions at affordable prices.
Release and commercialization phase: Farmers can obtain and benefit from seed of improved maize and wheat once national authorities register and release varieties that excel in national performance trials and public and private sector partners begin seedproduction and marketing or distribution.
On the demand side, CIMMYT scientists work to support seed systems development though its work on:
Farmer preferences and demand for varieties: Scientists look to understand current and future preferences and needs for varieties. This involves the use of innovative tools, such as product concept testing, on-farm testing and ranking, and participatory varietal evaluation.
Seed industry development: Small and medium sized seed businesses, as well as agrodealers, play a critical role in the distribution of seed. Our work looks to understand entry points for support to the seed industry for advancing faster uptake of new varieties by farmers.
Consumer demand for grain: The preferences of consumers and agroindustry for grain and grain-based foods provide an important source of demand for new varieties. CIMMYT scientists engage with consumers and agroindustry for innovation in food product design and testing consumer acceptance. Insights gains are reported back to breeding and seed production teams for design of future cereal varieties.
Gender-sensitive seed systems
A team of social scientists at CIMMYT with expertise in economics, gender and marketing works to understand the needs and preferences of farmers, consumers, and the agroindustry for new varieties. They develop retail strategies, such as targeted marketing, in-store seed assessment support and price incentives, promote the adoption of better policies in support of seed companies and seed markets.
CIMMYT explores mechanisms to help seed companies adapt their products to womenâs preferences. Research shows that beyond yield potential, women seek different characteristics in seeds than men. For example, women are more inclined to favor a variety with a longer grain shelf life. Similarly, when women engage in participatory variety selections, they tend to make more objective evaluations of varieties than men.
Our experts advance strategies to promote inclusive and effective delivery systems, helping both female and male farmers obtain the seed that works best for their specific needs. This ongoing model gives CIMMYT feedback from farmers and public and private sector partners, which informs subsequent breeding research.
Why are cereal seed systems important?
CIMMYT contributes to new improved seeds getting to farmers, consumers and agroindustry, which ultimately leads to lasting positive impacts in terms of food security and economic development.
Cereals such as maize and wheat play a critical role in global food security. Increasing their productivity in the Global South remains a key developmental priority. Smallholders face increasing pressure to sustain and increase their yields in the face of three main issues: climate change, which increases the frequency of severe drought, floods, and pest and disease outbreaks; rapidly rising costs of inputs, such as land, labor, fertilizer; and unfavorable marketing conditions for their grain.
As a critical entry point for improved agricultural technology, seed systems are in urgent need of improvement and modernization. Since the onset of the Green Revolution in the 1960s, the discovery, development, and delivery of improved seed for smallholder farmers has remained an essential part of global and local initiatives to increase smallholder productivity.
What does a sustainable, inclusive, and productive seed system look like?
For the future, there are serious challenges for expanding and deepening the impact from investments in breeding. Market intelligence systems are urgently needed to support breeding teams in future product design and evidence-based prioritization. Innovation is needed in terms of how actors within the systems inform and support farmers to experiment with new seeds.
CIMMYT is working with CGIAR partners to implement a new, 10-year strategy. Effective seed systems achieve the widespread adoption of varieties that capture the gains from crop improvement and connect actors along the value chain so that all can benefit from a productive crop, from seedbank to soil. In close collaboration with national agricultural research systems (NARS), CGIAR has had historic success introducing improved cultivars to smallholder producers of staple crops, with high return on investment. However, there is still some standing criticism that large, public breeding programs take a technologically-biased and supply-pushed approach to agricultural innovation.
Cereal crop breeding programs can become more demand-oriented by employing more market segmentation strategies â breaking down target client markets into smaller, more geographically and demographically specific groups â and developing a more accessible description and profile of its products. Using similar approaches, CGIAR is likely to expand demand-oriented programs in genetic innovation and seed systems development in the new phase of operations.
Cover photo: Staff members bag maize at the Demeter Seeds warehouse. (Photo: Emma Orchardson/CIMMYT)
“I am happy with this wheat variety and all the support from the project,” said Agere Worku, a female farmer in Ethiopia working with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). “It is a lot of money that I will earn as a female farmer in my life.”
Participants were given Kingbird seeds, a new wheat variety, to plant in their smallholdings. The project then supported them through capacity building and advice on smart soil, water management, plant protection and agronomic packages.
âWe prepared six hectares of land and sowed 1.1 tons of Kingbird seed,â said Yeshiwas Worku, chair of the Melke Yegna Tefsa Association. âThere were other wheat varieties, such as Dandaâa, adjacent to our experimental plot and the difference in yields was very visible. The other members of the association were eager to get Kingbird seeds, which are very different in terms of quality, yields, maturity, and disease tolerance.â
âCIMMYT is a life changer for me,â said Buzayehu Getahun, a farmer in Jeju, in the Oromia region. âI produced 3.7 tons on 0.75 hectares. Interestingly, I earned around 132,000 Ethiopian Birr (US$2,500) from this yield. I plan to build a new house for my mother in my village and will be blessed by her at her old age,â said Getahun.
Female smallholder farmer with a bag of Kingbird seed, which she will use as part of a CIMMYT project pilot. (Credit: Enawgaw Shibeshi/CIMMYT)
The impact on female farmers
After involvement in the pilot, the female farmers produced higher yields than they had experienced before.
âI used to harvest wheat three times in the previous years and earned only 0.66 tons of wheat per 0.75 hectare using seeds of other wheat varieties,â explained Worku. âBut now thanks to support from CIMMYT, the yield has increased four times than the previous years; I produced 2.4 tons per 0.75 hectares. I am very happy with the high yield and feel encouraged to reinvest in other agricultural activities.â
A second female farmer, Melishew Tedela, said, âI am happy with this seed and all the support from the project. I can be witness that the other farmers who didnât get this variety were not happy with their low yields of wheat.â
Female farmers in Ethiopia share their experiences of cultivating Kingbird wheat crops. (Credit: Enawgaw Shibeshi/CIMMYT)
The future of lowland wheat farming
Bekele Geleta Abeyo, wheat breeder and Ethiopia Country Representative at CIMMYT, said, âThe Government of Ethiopia is emphasizing increasing irrigated wheat production and productivity in the lowlands to complement the intensification of rainfed wheat production in the highlands in order to achieve self-sufficiency by 2023 and feed the ever-growing population.â
With world wheat prices skyrocketing due to the Ukraine conflict, wheat technology generation and dissemination are key for sustainable agricultural practices.
CIMMYT is working to replace obsolete wheat varieties in Ethiopia that are susceptible to wheat rust, particularly yellow and stem rust, with disease-resistant products. Newer varieties like Kingbird are rust-resistant and therefore produce higher yields.
Farmer in his field of Kingbird wheat in Ethiopia. (Credit: Enawgaw Shibeshi/CIMMYT)
Cereals cover around 80% of Nepalâs cultivated land area, with a low level of productivity. The countryâs commercial cereal seed sector development has been rather slow as more than 83% of seed comes from the informal system. The formal sector cannot produce adequate seeds to meet the farmersâ needs. Moreover, the formal market is largely driven by public seed varieties. To catalyze the sectorâs development and enhance productivity, building a well-performing seed system that produces and timely supplies quality seeds at affordable rates to farmers is integral.
The adoption of a federal system of governance since 2018, creating new structures within the system, along with the after-effects of COVID-19 has impacted the public sector seed production and distribution with implications on private seed business. A recent assessment conducted by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) examines the current functions in the cereal value chain in Nepal and identifies upgrading strategies to bring efficiency and competitiveness in the cereal seed market systems, specifically for rice and maize.
An agrovet owner sells improved varieties of maize and rice locally produced by GATE Nepal Seed Company, a partner of CIMMYT in Banke, Nepal (Photo: Bandana Pradhan/CIMMYT)
The study provides a detailed analysis of the market size and trends for the various hybrid and open-pollinated varieties of rice and maize seeds as well as their production, distribution and margins in seed business.
A majority of rice and maize seeds, especially high-yielding hybrids, sold to farmers are brought in by importers and wholesalers who directly sells them to farmers or indirectly through agro-dealers. Nepali hybrid varieties are lagging because farmers, grain producers and millers have low awareness and information on new and improved varieties produced by local seed companies and cooperatives. A significant supply gap of rice and maize seeds was found in all the seven provinces of Nepal.
The study reviews the nature of inter-business relations in the seed value chain and provision of services by the government, NGOs and others for the development of the cereal seed value chain. In the context of federalism, the study assesses the seed policies and actions under the Revised Seed Act (2020) to establish provincial seed systems. Considering migration-induced feminization of agriculture in Nepal, the study identifies approaches to promote inclusive seed systems and youth engagement in seed value chains. Strategic measures to build a resilient seed system that can respond to abrupt market and mobility disruptions, as caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is also taken into account. However, it also details out the various challenges and risks encountered by the value chain actors that hinders seed business and the sectorâs growth overall.
CIMMYT designed seed packets of maize and rice to enhance branding and marketing of local products displayed in an agrovet in Banke district, Nepal (Photo: Bandana Pradhan/CIMMYT)
Some of the strategies to address these bottlenecks include strengthening value chain functions in research and development, hybrid seed production, seed processing and innovative approaches for market promotion and sales. Creating an enabling environment for seed companies in areas of variety testing and release, quality assurance in seed production and commercialization, financial and business management services, seed extension services and promotion of new domestic varieties are also fundamental propositions to achieve Nepalâs National Seed Vision (2013-2025) targets.
A wheat field of Bamyan, Afghanistan. (Photo: Nigel Poole/SOAS University of London)
The UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet recently said of Afghanistan, “In the wake of years of conflict, and since the takeover by the Taliban in August last year, the country has been plunged into a deep economic, social, humanitarian and human rights crisis” (UN News 2022a). International humanitarian agencies and NGOs have persisted in supporting the population, half of whom are suffering food insecurity, and some of whom are facing unprecedented and catastrophic levels of hunger (UN News 2022b). The conflict in Ukraine is exacerbating the crises in poor import-dependent countries and humanitarian programmes, and Afghanistan will be among the most affected (Bentley and Donovan 2022).
The rural sector underlies Afghanistanâs economic potential, with agriculture as the foundation of the economy. Wheat, both irrigated and rainfed, is the principal agricultural crop, and bread is the major component of the Afghan diet. For decades the country has relied for food security on neighbors such as Kazakhstan and Pakistan and import dependence appears to be a permanent feature of the agricultural economy (Sharma and Nang 2018).
In a recent paper published in Plants, People, Planet, CIMMYT scientists and partners from SOAS University of London, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, FAO-Afghanistan, The HALO Trust, Afghanaid and the Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan call for renewed investment in Afghanistanâs wheat and agricultural sector.
Bread and spread in Bamyan, Afghanistan. (Photo: Nigel Poole/SOAS University of London)
Improved CIMMYT wheat germplasm has supported agricultural development
CIMMYTâs activities in Afghanistan have focused primarily on supporting the national agricultural research system through the provision of elite, widely adapted germplasm with strong disease resistance. Recent estimates of genetic gains over 14 years (2002-2003 to 2015-2016) of testing of CIMMYTâs Elite Spring Wheat Yield Trial material across 11 locations in Afghanistan documents significant grain yield progress of 115 kg/year. Average yields across 11 testing locations ranged from 3.58 to 5.97 t/ha (Sharma et al., 2021). This indicates that yield potential can be increased through introduction and testing of internationally improved germplasm.
But such investment in research has come to a halt. Local public- and private-sector wheat breeding activities have been largely absent in Afghanistan for over a decade. Hence, wheat productivity remains low due to the limited availability of improved varieties, inadequate quality seed production and distribution. Although in the short term, humanitarian interventions are likely to be the major determinant of food security, we propose that strategic rebuilding of the wheat system will lay the foundation for restoring Afghanistanâs agricultural production, food supplies, nutrition and health. Here we signal opportunities for future improvement.
Opportunities to build climate resilience and enhance seed systems
The need for climate-resilient varieties that meet farmersâ varied requirements and consumer preferences is paramount. Afghan farmers need varieties with improved traits such as heat and drought resilience, incorporating functional variation from existing landrace collections. In addition, agronomic interventions such as conservation agriculture will offer substantial benefits in buffering environmental stresses.
The technological pathways for seed (re-)distribution are a critical part of the innovation pathway from plant breeding to production and productivity. Given the particularities of markets in Afghanistan, both the public sector and the private sector often fail to reach farming geographies that are remote, diverse, and unserved by physical and institutional infrastructure. For many years, basic public services and agricultural interventions have been provided by the NGO sector, and this form of delivery continues. Hence, local âinformalâ systems for seed and inputs are important to smallholder farmers.
Investment to support both irrigated and rain-fed wheat production
Rehabilitation of ancient irrigation practices and infrastructure could once again serve local farming in a way that supports stable production, restores Afghan heritage, and rebuilds social cohesion. However, there are no easy solutions to the challenges of increasing irrigation to boost agriculture. Although yields are lower, there is potential to optimize breeding specifically for rain-fed production. We expect rain-fed agriculture to continue given the limitations of water and infrastructure access.
Wheat improvement must be embedded in the wider agricultural environment. There is a renewed need for a deep understanding of social, political, and cultural systems and how they vary between villages, and from districts, provinces, and regions to people groups. We need to re-envision the roles of men and women in agriculture, and investment in skills and capacity building to provide a stable foundation for the eradication of poverty and food insecurity.
A new wheat program for Afghanistan
We highlight the urgent need for:
Resumption of breeding of nutritious and climate-resilient varieties.
Development of a knowledge base on current wheat production systems, gendered agricultural roles, farmer needs for varietal change and consumer preferences for tasty and nutritious wheat-based products.
Development of seed information systems using new technologies to enhance farmer engagement in research.
Expansion of appropriate irrigation systems and development of nature-based solutions to protect soil and to preserve and conserve water.
Investment in capacity building among private, non-governmental, university and public stakeholders in seed systems and delivery of agricultural services.
These foundations will support the wider regeneration of Afghanistanâs agricultural sector and enhance food security, nutrition and health of some of the worldâs most vulnerable populations.
Full paper
Poole, N., Sharma, R., Nemat, O.A., Trenchard, R., Scanlon, A., Davy, C., Ataei, N., Donovan, J. and Bentley, A.R. (in production). Sowing the wheat seeds of Afghanistan’s future. Plants, People, Planet DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10277
References
Bentley, A. and Donovan, J. (2022). What price wheat? Crisis in Ukraine underscores the need for long-term solutions for global food security. Retrieved 16 June 2022, from https://staging.cimmyt.org/blogs/what-price-wheat/.
Sharma, R.K. and Nang, M. (2018). Afghanistan wheat seed scenario: Status and imperatives. International Journal of Agricultural Policy and Research6(5): 71-75 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15739/IJAPR.18.008
A change in policy by the Nepalese government in February 2022 opens up space for private seed companies to be involved in seed variety development, evaluation and distribution to farmers.
