Adoption of Improved Sorghum and Pearl Millet ... - Icrisat

In the 2000 season, the schools contributed a total of 40.5 tons of seed to the national seed
system (Table 8). By 2002 the scheme had expanded to include schools from three more
districts – Shinyanga, Igunga, and Same.
Government-supported on-farm seed production program
The Tanzanian government has signed a bilateral project with the Danish government, under
which the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) will provide support for onfarm
seed production, under the Agricultural Sector Program Support. A few qualified,
experienced farmers in each target village will be selected, trained, and supported for seed
production. They will then sell this seed to neighboring farmers. The program will also support
breeder seed production at research stations. This nationwide program is being implemented by
the Seed Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. The pilot 3-year phase targets
three districts – Dodoma, Mpwapwa, and Kondoa. Dodoma and Mpwapwa lie in the Central
Zone, where sorghum and millet are major crops; sorghum/millet seed production will therefore
be an important element of the program.
Results from seed production initiatives
As a direct consequence of the three programs described above, over 900 tons of seed – 895 t of
improved sorghum varieties and 38 t of improved pearl millet varieties – have been distributed
to farmers in the past 4 years. Efforts have focused on sorghum, rather than millet, primarily
because NGO support has been more forthcoming for sorghum. This emphasis on sorghum is
also reflected in the survey results, which show that extension efforts have played the major role
in disseminating new sorghum varieties. In contrast, pearl millet varieties have spread largely
through farmer-to-farmer seed exchange.
Adoption of Improved Sorghum Varieties
The proportion of farmers who are aware of the new sorghum varieties ranges from about 16% in
Lindi (Southern Zone) to as high as 80% in Dodoma (Central Zone). Similarly, the proportion of
farmers who had grown these varieties ranged from 6% in Lindi to 62% in Dodoma (Table 9). To
estimate adoption country-wide, data from each region was weighted by the share of the region
in national sorghum area (eg, higher weightage for Dodoma and Shinyanga). We estimate that
approximately 36% of national sorghum area is under improved varieties (Table 10).
Pato was released in 1995; it has taken about six years to reach these levels of adoption. As
a result of seed systems development in the Central Zone, and national drought relief efforts,
Macia, the most recent release, is also becoming popular with farmers. Extrapolation of survey
data, using weighted averages, indicates that over half the sorghum farmers in Tanzania have had
experience growing Serena, a brown, high-tannin variety which became very unpopular and was
finally rejected by farmers for food uses, although it is still widely grown for brewing. Over 45%
of farmers have had experience with Tegemeo (released in 1986), and over 43% with Pato.
The survey also showed that the national extension service is the most effective vehicle for
disseminating information about new sorghum and pearl millet varieties. For example, among
Pato growers, over 67% reported they had learned about the variety through the extension
10