Strengthening National Seed Value Chains and Improving Smallholder Farming

Stories from the PASS Seeds Conference
Bamako, Mali 5-8 October 2009

Over 300 participants at a pan-African Seeds conference sponsored by AGRA’s Program on African Seed Systems (PASS) and Mali’s Rural Economic Institute (IER) heard reports from AGRA grantees and partners across the continent. Speakers presented summaries of work highpoints and challenges, as they seek to strengthen national seed value chains and improve smallholder farming. Click below for three report snapshots:

• Breakthrough in Sorghum’s Yield Barrier
• Finding Hope in Farming
• Encouraging Adoption of Africa’s Orphan Crops

Breakthrough in Sorghum’s Yield Barrier -- Mali

After years of diligent breeding, Malian sorghum breeders have finally broken the yield barrier of one of the country’s most important crops: sorghum. The grain is drought-hardy and essential to food security.

Dr Bino Teme, the director of Rural Economic Institute said that Mali has released three new hybrid sorghum crops with the capacity to quadruple the harvests of the country’s staple food crop.

The Fadda, Sigui Kumbe and Sewa hybrids can produce 3, 3.5 and 4 metric tonnes (MT) per hectare respectively. Sakoika, the local seed variety, produces up to 1.5 MT per hectare, and only if grown with adequate farm inputs.

The hybrids will be released to farmers across Mali. Over the next year, the IER will train seed producers on the breeding techniques and carry out more demonstrations to promote the seeds among farmers.

“We have to continue with the demonstrations because we have different kinds of farmers; some will adopt the hybrids immediately, while others employ await and see approach,” Teme said.

Teme said he expects up to 50 per cent of Malian farmers to adopt the sorghum hybrids within two to three years.

Finding Hope in Farming – Mali

After years of searching far and wide through the West African frontiers for money-making opportunities, Mr Able Traore has met fortune in the last place he expected: his farm.

Traore ,65, used up most of his youthful years traveling across borders to make a quick buck selling everything from jewelry to soap to fend for his 22 children. He had to make extra money to purchase food and supplement what was harvested from his piece of land located outside of Bamako city in Mali.

Advancing age finally forced him to retire from his job as a traveling salesman. But, still, he had to find a steady source of income. This led him to take a second look at his small farm.

In his youthful days it had served as a secondary source of income. Given its low yield, there was not much incentive to expend energy on it.

“In those days, the government did not give any considerations to farmers, we could not even meet our needs,” Traore says.

But ten years after retiring from sales, Traore is now smiling all the way to the bank. Two years ago he was introduced to Faso Kaba Seed Company in Mali by a farmer neighbor, whose successful yields had created a buzz in the village.

The improved seeds he receives from Faso Kaba have increased his harvests by 50 per cent in two years.

Faso Kaba, is a small, but rapidly growing Malian Seed Company producing and delivering affordable and quality seeds to rural Mali and educating farmers about improved seed and use of other farm inputs.

“If I had known what I know now, I would not have left the country for any other place. I wish that all my kids become farmers. Farming is the most pleasant job you can do in Mali,” Traore says.

Commenting on the role of effective seed systems, PASS Director Dr Joseph DeVries says that the breakthrough in Traore’s life is mirrored in many countries across Africa where average yields of staple foods are beginning to rise following recent breakthroughs in creating high yielding seeds and making them accessible to farmers.

Encouraging Adoption of Africa’s Orphan Crops – Kenya

After three years of toil, Janey Leakey can finally take a breather. Leakey, a founding director of Leldet Seed Company in Kenya, now has assurance that improved varieties of underutilized seeds (pigeon pea, sorghum, soya beans, chick pea and ground nut) will finally be approved for production by the Kenya Plant Health Inspection Services (KEPHIS).

It has taken her three years to get to this point and she could not hide her excitement during her presentation at the PASS grantee meeting in Bamako.

“It has taken so much heartache to get here, this is a big achievement and I am so excited about it,” Leakey told the over 300 participants.

Leakey said there is a shortage of improved varieties of orphan/underutilized crops in Kenya because the majority of the breeders in universities and research institutions face cash constraints and want to avoid the bureaucratic struggle involved with getting the crops certified.

“You have a quagmire of all this germplasm which sits in universities and research organizations and needs to be taken through the process of commercialization,” she said.

Leakey was motivated to start a seed producing company three years ago when she could not find improved seed varieties to plant on her farm.

The orphan varieties readily available in Kenya were produced as far back as 1984 at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. Through her grant from AGRA, Leakey has been able to go through the long and winding process of paying a fee of up to US$2000 to take an improved crop varieties to the national trials. As she anticipates official approval by KEPHIS to allow commercial release of the varieties, she is also seeking new ways of disseminating the underutilized crops.

Leldet has conducted 600 demonstrations across Kenya, showcasing at least five varieties planted per site. An estimated 21,000 farmers have visited these demonstrations.

Once demonstrations are established, Ledlet sells small seed packs to farmers through farmer field days and agricultural shows. The small packs are sold in 80g for US$ 0.15(10 Kenya shillings), or 400g at US$ 0.7(50 Kenya shillings). On average 150 farmers are reached on a single field day. The low cost of the small packs limit farmers’ risk, and encourage them to try something new.

Her next hurdle will be acquiring funds for large-scale production of the seeds, including funds for irrigation.