Four Seasons of Learning and Engaging Smallholder Farmers - icrisat

Seed Production and Delivery Systems
Summary
Soybean is among the major industrial and food crops grown on every continent. The crop can be
successfully grown in many areas using low agricultural inputs. Soybean cultivation in Africa has
expanded as a result of its nutritive and economic importance and diverse domestic usage. It is also a
prime source of vegetable oil in the international market. Soybean has an average protein content of
40% and is more protein-rich than any of the common vegetable or animal food sources found in the
world. Soybean seeds also contain about 20% oil on a dry matter basis, and this is 85% unsaturated
and cholesterol-free. Generally, soybean is emerging as an important feed, food as well as raw material
for producing high-quality protein products, which is currently grown on 1.5 million ha in Africa. In the
last five years, soybean area has been increasing at an average of 5% per year whilst total production
has been increasing at a rate of 7% per year in Africa. Such an increase has not been sufficient to satisfy
the demand for soybean on the continent. Africa imports soybean grain and its products worth about
one billion dollars every year. Hence, emphasis should be given to this crop to increase its productivity
and production in Africa and narrow the gap between demand and supply.
Soybean production is constrained by unavailability of improved varieties. A number of improved highyielding
soybean varieties have been developed but these have not reached many farmers. The major
impediments in soybean adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa are lack of awareness on processing and
utilization, low yield, lack of market linkage with processors and consumers, weak policy support, lack
of high quality seed, and low product prices. This project is making efforts to address these issues based
on the experience of IITA in West Africa and that of TSBF-CIAT in western Kenya. It is believed that
soybean production will increase as more farmers become aware of the potential of the crop through
enhanced seed delivery systems.
The activities in this project are focused on soybean value chain system to enhance the adoption and
use of improved varieties by farmers.
The project goal was to improve sustainability of soybean seed production and delivery systems that
will reach the smallholder farmers in drought-prone areas of Sub-Saharan Africa through interventions
designed to:
• Facilitate Foundation Seed production;
• Facilitate Certified Seed production;
• Promote and strengthen seed/input marketing through linkages to private seed companies;
• Create awareness to popularize improved stress-tolerant soybean varieties; and
• Build capacity of stakeholders for implementation of the activities.
Increased seed production
By the completion of Phase 1, the project directly supported a total of 1,856 farmers which included
both men and women that were involved in on-farm demonstrations to popularize improved soybean
varieties in the participating countries. Field observations have shown widespread adoption of new
varieties of soybean, a substantial increase in yields, as well as an increase in food security and reduction
in poverty. Farmers have reported that problems relating to access to improved seed, low soil fertility
and Striga infestation were being solved, but would require continued support to ensure such problems
do not recur. Problems of input availability, especially fertilizer, although addressed still remain but
require improved policies to address farmer concerns. Livelihoods have improved through better food
security and nutrition, reduced poverty, and an increased ability to pay other costs. A strong gender
dimension and special support to empower women involved a group of women groups, with special
initiatives for soybean processing, value adding, household utilization and marketing to processors.
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Engaging Smallholder Farmers | Tropical Legumes II Project