Four Seasons of Learning and Engaging Smallholder Farmers - icrisat

The best approach to spread the improved technologies to users
• The involvement of farmers, farmers groups and other stakeholders such as extension agents and
NGOs help in getting developed technologies to where they would make necessary impacts.
NGO’s, entrepreneurs and local Government officials were found helpful in pushing technologies
to rural areas where most cowpea farmers are located;
• Increased participation in field days and farmers’ visits to others’ fields expose the farmers better to
the available technologies. Such visits have positive influence on farmers and their willingness to
take up new technologies which they see;
• Crop variety release process could be cumbersome in many countries. The project helped to facilitate
the process by supporting meetings of variety release committees in the different countries; and
• Fostering stronger collaborations with sub-regional seeds initiatives such as WASA in West Africa.
Lessons learned
The proposed training in country of graduate students in plant breeding at MSc level would have to
be modified. This is because scientists especially those in Franco-phone countries have requested that
efforts be made to expose their graduate students to the English language during their training. They
would like for their students to go to English speaking countries for the training. We are in contact with
the University of Ghana on how to get students from the countries trained in the university. At present
TL II is supporting the research work in cowpea breeding of two students, one each from Mali and
Niger, registered at the University of Ibadan and sponsored by AGRA.
Seed Production and Delivery Systems
Summary
The cowpea seed system delivery component of the Tropical Legumes -II Project was carried out with the
participation of five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Baseline survey on the legume seed supply chain and other form of value-addition was carried out in
all of these countries. The study confirmed that the formal seed systems as they exist were not providing
sufficient quality seed of cowpea to meet the demands of farmers. For farmers to benefit from the new
technologies, the public sector needs to work in close partnership with the private sector to improve
seed systems ensuring also that small farmers are brought into the process. These findings were used
to strategize work plan for the project. Knowledge of cowpea seed systems advanced significantly in
the first phase of the project. Successes were registered in Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Mozambique in
production and delivery system. The small pack strategy, developed in partnership with the private
sector, was also very successful. Marketing seed in small quantities of 1 and 2 kg packs that are within
the reach of smallholder farmers was found to be both profitable to a small private seed company and
attractive to farmers.
The goal of the TL II seed component was to develop sustainable seed production and delivery systems
that will reach the smallholder farmers in drought-prone areas of SSA through interventions designed to:
• Bring about significant increases in the productivity and production of cowpea;
• Facilitate production of Foundation Seed;
• Facilitate production of Certified Seed;
• Promote and strengthen seed/input marketing through linkages to private seed companies;
• Create awareness to popularize improved stress-tolerant cowpea varieties; and
• Capacity building to strengthen stakeholders.
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Engaging Smallholder Farmers | Tropical Legumes II Project