Two recent documents address seed systems in sub-Saharan Africa. One, from the Drylands Coordination Group in Norway looks at the relevance of the informal seed sector to farmers in southern Tigray, Ethiopia, using the famine of 1984 as a boundary across which to compare results. It’s a complex story that would repay study by someone expert in the subject matter, but this is striking:
Five cultivars of sorghum, one cultivar of tef and four cultivars of maize have been lost and others are on the verge of being lost from the farming system of the area. Early maturing sorghum cultivars from the informal seed are gaining upper hand and have already replaced the old but late maturing types.
It is tempting to see those changes as a response to changing weather patterns, and the study recommends research to make older varieties “as productive as they used to be”.
In Zambia, Danielle Nierenberg reports on her blog, the aid charity CARE is fostering a business-like approach to increasing the production of staple crops.
One way they’re doing this is by creating a network of agro-dealers who can sell inputs to their neighbors as well as educate them about how to use hybrid seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs. At the same time, “we are mindful” of the benefits of local varieties of seeds, says Harry Ngoma, Agriculture Advisor for the Consortium for Food Security, Agriculture and Nutrition, AIDS, Resiliency and Markets (C-FAARM).
Right on, Harry! Sounds very like the approach being promoted by AGRA in its pursuit of an African green revolution. And CARE is also promoting indigenous crops such as sorghum to complement Zambia’s appetite for maize. But is there a danger that this network of agro-dealers will be promoting the inputs that make them the most profit? There must be a way of tying rewards for advice to the practical outcome of following that advice.
In traditional farming systems dominated by smallholder producers seed supply and distribution interventions should designed in such a way that they may the local seed systems more resilient other than replace them. There is no doubt a role for improved crop varieties and organic fertilisers in boosting agriculture among smallholder producers but issues of sustainability should be taken into account.
I’m sure the “business-like approach “ holds a potential for effective and timely delivery of inputs to many farmers. But who are they reaching that a proper extension service can’t reach? And how well does this commercial supply channel fit with Care’s goal: “increase the production of staple crops and improve farmers’ access to agricultural inputs”? Of the three aspects of seed system security; availability, access, and quality of seeds, I think these agro-dealer networks are more likely to contribute towards availability and quality than towards access.