Louise Sperling

Rethinking the Farmer's Role in Plant Breeding: Local Bean Experts and On-station Selection in Rwanda

Varietal selection is particularly difficult for very heterogeneous environments where farmers have a range of preferences. To address these issues in Rwanda, local bean experts, generally women, are invited to the research station to assess cultivars and to select those they prefer for their plots. Farmers use observed yield as only one of several criteria to predict varietal performance in their more stressed home environments. The varieties they choose are often higher yielding on-farm and are retained longer by farmers than those selected by the breeders. The results of early farmer involvement also compare favourably with those of the standard breeding programme in terms of enhanced genetic diversity and reduced research costs. There are few pre-conditions for developing such a client-driven breeding programme. Papel del agricultor en la seleccion de variedades para una estacion inaestigacion

UNDERSTANDING AND STRENGTHENING INFORMAL SEED MARKETS

SUMMARY Informal markets receive little attention from governments and researchers, despite their centrality to farmers’ seed security. This paper documents the importance of informal markets for supplying seed and restocking critical plant genetic resources in normal and stress periods. It analyses farmers’ rationales for using such markets and their strategic actions in selecting out seed from grain. Conceptual aids for differentiating among market goods ‐ grain, ‘implicit seed’ and seed ‐ are presented, including tracing of agro-ecologicalseedsources,traders’seedmanagementbehaviourandseed/grainpricepatterns.Ethiopian case material gives rare insight into how different scales of traders manage the seed/grain divide. Better understanding of informal markets is an important precursor to strengthening them as such markets have unrealized potential to deliver more and higher quality seed, and a greater range of modern and local varieties. Support for informal seed markets could usefully feature in rural livelihood and social protection programmes, but this will require basic shifts in interventions and further refinements in market analysis.

Bean Seed Delivery for Small Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Power of Partnerships

New bean varieties translate into increased on-farm yields only if farmers obtain access to desired seed. Conventional models of legume seed delivery in Africa, centralized with the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), prove to be slow and of limited reach. This article describes a novel strategy for seed outreach, the Wider Impact Program, initiated within the 18 countries of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance. Select technical results (on bean seed quality, farmer-to-farmer diffusion, and new variety demand) informed the program design. However, it was significant modification in partnerships that served as the catalyst for achieving fast and widespread diffusion of new bean varieties. Redefining the divisions of labor within the seed supply chain, sharpening the role of each partner, and bringing diverse actors together provided the base for the networks enhanced impact. Assessments show 3.8 million households reached with new varieties from 2003 to 2005 in the six countries most closely monitored.

The links between food security and seed security: facts and fiction that guide response

The food price crisis has led to assumptions that food price rises are due to inadequate food production, and that such food insecurity is linked to seed insecurity. Hence, in response to high food prices, seed resources worth hundreds of millions of US dollars are being shipped into vulnerable farming systems across the world. This article examines the evidence for linking food security to seed security, particularly in acute contexts, and shows how the challenges facing security features of availability, access, and utilisation are markedly different when assessing food security and seed security scenarios. The need for sharper thinking about (a) seed security strategy in itself and (b) the causal links between food security and seed security raises questions about supply-side responses which may wrongly identify both the problem and the solution. The article closes by suggesting ways to refine seed security goals which can provide more refined strategies for addressing food security needs.

Fatal gaps in seed security strategy

Seed security initiatives are proliferating in both developmental and crisis contexts but the field as a whole is weak in critical thinking. Two gaps in particular are explored in this paper: the need to set explicit seed security goals and the need to ensure balance among the security elements of availability, access and quality. Differences in the planning and implementing of seed security initiatives are examined in some detail for programs that variously aim for: food production, nutritional enhancement, system resilience, and income generation. Results show that one seed security program is not like another and that features such as partner choice, product design, delivery and awareness-raising strategy need to be tailored to meet the overarching goals. The paper closes with five key policy and programming recommendations.

The Role of Research Institutions in Seed–related Disaster Relief: Seeds of Hope Experiences in Rwanda

The article describes the efforts of a coalition of agricultural research centres, Seeds of Hope (SOH) in the rebuilding, of Rwanda, after the genocide and war of 1994. Research involvement in emergency relief and rehabilitation was unusual at the time and SOH had to forge its unique complementary role. Focusing on crop and variety development and conservation it: provided technical advice to relief agencies on seed procurement; used its baseline ken to assess the effects of war on seed diversity and seed security; made preparations to restore specific germplasm (which, fortunately, proved unnecessary) and spent substantial effort on rebuilding human resource capacity in research as well as basic scientific facilities. The involvement of SOH highlighted the critical, yet very different, roles for research during emergency versus rehabilitation periods and demonstrated the cost effectiveness of building in a diagnostic component--before massive seed or germplasm distributions are programmed.

Understanding root, tuber, and banana seed systems and coordination breakdown: A multi-stakeholder framework.

ABSTRACT Vegetatively propagated crop (VPC) seed tends to remain true to varietal type but is bulky, often carries disease, and is slow to produce. So VPC seed needs to be handled differently than that of other crops, e.g., it tends to be sourced locally, often must be fresh, and it is less often sold on the market. Hence, a framework was adapted to describe and support interventions in such seed systems. The framework was used with 13 case studies to understand VPC seed systems for roots, tubers, and bananas, including differing roles and sometimes conflicting goals of stakeholders, and to identify potential coordination breakdowns when actors fail to develop a shared understanding and vision. In this article, we review those case studies. The framework is a critical tool to (a) document VPC seed systems and build evidence; (b) diagnose and treat coordination breakdown and (c) guide decision-makers and donors on the design of more sustainable seed system interventions for VPCs. The framework can be used to analyze past interventions and will be useful for planning future VPC seed programs.