ABSTRACT
Over the past decade, new, private sector-led approaches to the supply of improved seed among African smallholder farmers has contributed to increased crop yields in several countries. Breeding higher-yielding varieties with resistance to diseases and tolerance to environmental stress factors, including drought, has likewise made significant strides at both national and international levels. Key to this progress has been the establishment of private, local, SME seed companies which can grow over time to larger, profitable operations supplying seed in multiple countries. These companies distribute their seed to farmers via rural retailers, or “agro-dealers”, which sell a range of seed products, fertilizers and other inputs. The development of these markets has encouraged increased investment by large, regional seed companies and multinationals. Unfortunately, this movement towards improved technology uptake by smallholder farmers has to-date been concentrated in approximately 15 African countries, leaving farmers in many more behind. In these left-behind countries, crop yields have barely changed, and in some cases, they are actually declining. The chapter describes the methods employed by AGRA and several other organizations to develop private, local channels for the supply of improved seed and makes the case for extending the benefits of these approaches to all of Africa’s farmers.
