89
protein and micronutrients in the Kenyan diet, it is critical that new varieties are
made available.
The research-for-development community has in recent years been paying
increased attention to seed systems (Scoones and Thompson 2011). Initiatives
such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) are working
toward improving crop-seed systems, and approaches such as Integrated Seed
Sector Development (ISSD) are being created to help in such efforts (Louwaars
and de Boef 2012). But obstacles remain. In order for the private sector to play
a key role in the dissemination of climate-adapted varieties, major bottlenecks
in access to EGS need to be reduced. Such bottlenecks include complicated and
disparate licensing agreements among the various regional genetics suppliers;
lack of availability of sufficient breeder seed from licensors; and lack of financial resources, technical knowhow and infrastructure to maintain EGS. National
governments, international institutions and universities need to work together
with seed suppliers to harmonize regulations and streamline access to EGS for
the benefit of small-scale farmers. This chapter will briefly explain the structure
of seed systems and then address the bottleneck of EGS availability. It will do
so through the presentation of two contrasting case studies involving access to
EGS in Kenya. The chapter concludes with lessons from the case studies and
implications for policy.
8.2 Brief Overview of Seed Systems and Related
Interventions
Crop-seed systems in ESA involve a variety of sources and both formal and informal actors. According to McGuire and Sperling (2016), small-scale farmers obtain
their seeds from local markets (51%), their own saved stocks (31%), friends and
relatives (9%), agro-dealers (2%) and other sources. Supply systems vary depending on the type of crop, with hybridized row crops, cereals and legumes being of
greater interest to the private seed sector compared to vegetatively propagated species such as sweet potato and cassava (see Parker et al. in this volume). A generic,
much-simplified schematic of a seed system is presented in Fig. 8.2 for illustrative
purposes, highlighting the position of EGS in the pathway.
National agricultural research services (NARSs), together with international
agricultural research centers (IARCs) and other partners, have spent many decades
breeding new crop varieties (see the top left portion of Fig. 8.1) (Walker and
Alwang 2015). For many years non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
government extension services have distributed seeds directly to farmers or conducted seed and voucher fairs (Sperling and McGuire 2010). In recent years
development partners have been providing funding for broader seed-sector development, including AGRA’s support for capacity-building of agro-dealers (marketing and distribution column in Fig. 8.1) and local commercial seed companies
8 Access to Early Generation Seed: Obstacles for Delivery of Climate-Smart Varieties
protein and micronutrients in the Kenyan diet, it is critical that new varieties are
made available.
The research-for-development community has in recent years been paying
increased attention to seed systems (Scoones and Thompson 2011). Initiatives
such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) are working
toward improving crop-seed systems, and approaches such as Integrated Seed
Sector Development (ISSD) are being created to help in such efforts (Louwaars
and de Boef 2012). But obstacles remain. In order for the private sector to play
a key role in the dissemination of climate-adapted varieties, major bottlenecks
in access to EGS need to be reduced. Such bottlenecks include complicated and
disparate licensing agreements among the various regional genetics suppliers;
lack of availability of sufficient breeder seed from licensors; and lack of financial resources, technical knowhow and infrastructure to maintain EGS. National
governments, international institutions and universities need to work together
with seed suppliers to harmonize regulations and streamline access to EGS for
the benefit of small-scale farmers. This chapter will briefly explain the structure
of seed systems and then address the bottleneck of EGS availability. It will do
so through the presentation of two contrasting case studies involving access to
EGS in Kenya. The chapter concludes with lessons from the case studies and
implications for policy.
8.2 Brief Overview of Seed Systems and Related
Interventions
Crop-seed systems in ESA involve a variety of sources and both formal and informal actors. According to McGuire and Sperling (2016), small-scale farmers obtain
their seeds from local markets (51%), their own saved stocks (31%), friends and
relatives (9%), agro-dealers (2%) and other sources. Supply systems vary depending on the type of crop, with hybridized row crops, cereals and legumes being of
greater interest to the private seed sector compared to vegetatively propagated species such as sweet potato and cassava (see Parker et al. in this volume). A generic,
much-simplified schematic of a seed system is presented in Fig. 8.2 for illustrative
purposes, highlighting the position of EGS in the pathway.
National agricultural research services (NARSs), together with international
agricultural research centers (IARCs) and other partners, have spent many decades
breeding new crop varieties (see the top left portion of Fig. 8.1) (Walker and
Alwang 2015). For many years non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
government extension services have distributed seeds directly to farmers or conducted seed and voucher fairs (Sperling and McGuire 2010). In recent years
development partners have been providing funding for broader seed-sector development, including AGRA’s support for capacity-building of agro-dealers (marketing and distribution column in Fig. 8.1) and local commercial seed companies
8 Access to Early Generation Seed: Obstacles for Delivery of Climate-Smart Varieties