Access to quality seed is key to unlocking the potential of African agriculture for economic growth and prosperity.
The 'Market Failure' of African seed systems
- African agriculture is dominated by smallholders, planting uncertified, poor quality seed, resulting in low quality, yield, market access and economic return.
- Awareness by smallholders of the economic gains by planting certified seed of market preferred varieties is low.
- And national seed authorities lack capacity to undertake seed certification at the scale of Africa’s seed requirement
- Consequently, the private sector fails to investment in the seed sector faced by the ‘market failure’ of demand and regulatory assurance.
The Theory of Change
The delivery of a commercial seed sector, a seed system, requires the partnership of a commercial sector to grow the seed and the Government to regulate and certify its quality.
Foremost, the act of certification must leverage a price premium over existing non-certified seed as dominates the market. And as the commercial seed sector grows the certification capability must also grow.
The commercial brand is underpinned by certification as the endorsement of quality bought into by farmers.
The current market challenges are centred around a strong need to harmonise inspection certification processes along the seed supply chain, making data available in real-time across the industry.
SeedAssure, as a partnership between industry and the certification bodies, uniquely addresses the primary market failure with the African seed sector. But we recognise that more innovation is needed if the potential of the seed sector in Africa is to be fully realised.
Seed innovations and capacity strengthening
The SeedAssure Alliance provides an open platform for further partnership and innovation. We are actively engaging with Governments, donors, researchers, farmers and the private sector to better understand the constraints and opportunities that the seed sector faces.
Pest and disease identification in the field and laboratory, linked to GIS mapping of prevalence and emerging risk
Evidence based setting of seed certification standards and the design of seed systems
Varietal performance trails
Efficacy of seed treatments
Screenhouse systems for early generation seed multiplication
Design of digital systems for demonstration of accreditation