Informal Seed Component of the Seed Systems Development Project

Informal Seed Component of the Seed Systems Development Project

This project was designed to contribute to the national goal of increasing agricultural production and productivity by laying the foundation for a broad-based and competitive seed industry. It had three objectives:

• supporting the development of the seed sector
• encouraging the private sector to enter into the formal seed business
• restructuring the state-run seed enterprise to shape a decentralized and commercially oriented one

The project strongly supported the government’s efforts to promote the development of the informal sector, known as the farmer-based seed production and marketing scheme. This scheme grouped farmers into seed growers’ teams working to multiply seeds and then sell them. Under the scheme, the production of seeds rose from 1,100 tonnes in 1997 to 47,000 tonnes in 2001. This increase contributed significantly to cereal production, which almost doubled over the same period. More than 54,000 farmers participated in the scheme. In addition, more than 16,000 farmers participated in training courses on seed production technology.