Four Seasons of Learning and Engaging Smallholder Farmers - icrisat

Seed Production and Delivery Systems
The seed production and delivery system team has identified more than two dozen types of seed
production models across target countries. Eight, eight and 10 seed production systems have been
reported for Breeder/Foundation Seed, Certified Seed, and Other Quality Seed production systems in the
target countries (Table 1-4).
Systems varied from country to country (Figure 1-2). NARS research centers are responsible for Breeder and
Foundation Seed production across target countries, with the exception of Tanzania, where public sector
with contact farmers is responsible for production of these classes of seed. IARCs produce Foundation Seed
(FS) directly in six of the nine target countries; public sector with contract farmers produces Foundation
Seed in four of the nine countries. Individual farmers and farm groups, agricultural universities, IARCs
with contract farmers, and small private seed companies also produce FS in one or more countries of the
TL II target countries.
Figure 1-2: Importance of seed production systems in selected countries
Certified Seed (CS) is largely produced by the private sector and farmers groups, depending on the
country (Table 1-4). Small-scale farmers, the public sector with contract farmers and public sector seed
firms are also known to be part of the CS production system. Agricultural universities produce CS only
in Nigeria.
Individual seed producers are engaged in Other Quality Seed (OQS) production in seven of the nine
countries (Table 1-4). Farmers’ groups/unions/cooperatives and community-based seed system farmer
groups operating by themselves produce OQS in five and four of the nine countries, respectively.
NGOs facilitate the production of OQS in Ethiopia and Kenya. Schools, NGOs directly, the PDKV
model, farmers involved in payback system, seed village, and government supported non-certified seed
production models are also practiced in one country each.
It has been observed that there is no much enthusiasm by large seed companies to engage in grain
legume seed production because of low margin of profit, as farmers could recycle their own saved seed
for up to five years. Much attention is therefore paid to strengthening community-based and farmer
level seed production systems.
A total of 16 seed delivery models have been identified in the nine target countries. These too varied
from country to country. Kenya (7), Ethiopia (6), and Tanzania (5) have the largest number of models;
Malawi (4), India (3), Niger (3), Nigeria (3), Mali (2), and Mozambique (2) have fewer numbers, as
shown in Table 1-4.
Progress of Phase 1
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