Four Seasons of Learning and Engaging Smallholder Farmers - icrisat

Seed production was monitored throughout the project cycle. NARS kept careful records of initial
Foundation/Certified Seed produced and distributed to partners, while selected partners in decentralized
zones kept records of farmer multipliers, farmers receiving seed, and multiplication rates by region.
Seed delivery mechanisms
The use of small packs is based on the field insights that farmers want access to new varieties, and that
some also are willing to pay for Certified Seed at affordable sizes. Seed simply has to be marketed in
affordable sizes, in places which are easily accessible to farmers, and from vendors that farmers trust (or
who may be held accountable to buyers). Available M+E data show that 3700 MT of seed has been sold in
small packs across three countries. Of this amount, 226 MT was sold in Nigeria, 430 MT in Mozambique,
and 44 MT in Kenya in small packs sealed in 2 kg, 5 kg and 10 kg sizes. At the beginning of TL II, NARS
and NGOs considered that farmers only wanted large quantities, that is 50 kg and 20 kg packs.
Progress in on-farm demonstrations
Demonstration plots were established in all participating counties to popularize and showcase the
performance of improved soybean varieties to large numbers of farmers.
In Nigeria, 365 farmers (259 men and 107 women) successfully established on-farm soybean
demonstration plots in the project areas of Borno, Benue, and Kaduna States. The average yields for
the improved varieties ranged from 1753 in the Sudan zone to 2149 kg per ha in the Savanna zone
compared, to average yield of 1553 kg per ha of the farmers’ variety. In 2010, 30 demonstration plots
were established in Benue State. The average yield of the improved variety was 2181 kg per ha, compared
to 1523 kg per ha of the farmers’ localvarieties. In Mozambique, a total of 430 demonstration plots
were established while in Kenya, 44 demonstrations were established.
Understanding and developing market-value chain
Soybean seed supply chain and other form of value-addition has been carried out in all project
countries and reports submitted. Market development for soybean and linkages has resulted in
increased production and sales of soybean making significant contributions to improving livelihood
and poverty reduction.
Progress in market linkage
In Nigeria, two seed companies and a seed cooperative are involved in producing and selling soybean
seed. These are Premier Seeds Nigeria Ltd, Project Seed Co. Nigeria Ltd and Jirkur Seed Cooperative;
these entities have been linked to each other.
To ensure that seed producers have access to market outlet for the sales of their seed, seed farmers were
linked to institutions that have the mandate for the crop and other major seed companies. The linkage
was aimed to encourage the seed producers to improve and expand seed production as a result of the
additional market outlets.
In Nigeria, a total of 226 MT of Certified Seeds of different soybean varieties have been sold in different
packs sizes over the last 3 seasons. Of this total, 100 MT was sold in small packs of 1, 2 and 10 kg pack
to farmers. In Mozambique, 430 MT of soybean varieties packaged in small packs were sold through
input dealer shops and cooperative stores. In Kenya, a total of 44MT of different soybean seed has been
sold over the last 3 seasons.
Progress in training farming communities
A number of training activities were carried out in the project countries with respect to seed production
technologies, PVS, field plot techniques, seed segregation and standard, storage processing and
Progress of Phase 1
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