a conceptual framework to analyze rtb seed systems...

Jorge Andrade-Piedra , Conny Almekinders, Jeff Bentley, Stephen Walsh World Congress on Root and Tuber Crops

Nanning, China 20 Jan 2016

A conceptual framework to analyze RTB seed systems: experiences from 11 case studies

World Congress on Root and Tuber Crops Nanning, Guangxi, China, January 18-22, 2016

Case study authors No. Case study Authors 1 Integrating formal and informal potato

seed systems in Ecuador Peter Kromann, Fabián Montesdeoca

2 Aeroponic seed and native potatoes in Peru

Ricardo Orrego and Jorge Andrade-Piedra

3 Adapting a yam seed technique to meet farmers’ criteria

B.O. Odu, Danny Coyne, and Lava Kumar

4 Clean vines for smallholder farmers in Tanzania

Kwame Ogero, Margaret McEwan, and Ngabo Pamba

5 Delivering clean sweetpotato vines in Rwanda

Jean Claude Nshimiyimana, Jean Ndirigwe, Kirimi Sindi, Valentine Uwase, Margaret McEwan, and Jan Low

6 Public-private partnerships to multiply seed potato in Kenya

Elly Ouma Atieno, and Elmar Schulte-Geldermann

7 Research reawakens in Nicaragua Bernardo Ospina 8 Seed potato in Malawi: Not enough to go

around Netsayi Mudege and Paul Demo

9 Releasing disease-resistant varieties of cassava in Africa

Richardson Okechukwu and Lava Kumar

10 Banana tissue culture: community nurseries for African farmers

Enoch Kikulwe

11 An emergency banana disease in East Africa

Kim Jacobsen

Background, objective, audience

Background •  RTBs seed systems are radically different than those of grains. •  Long history of interventions, but poor learning from past

experiences.

Objective •  Learn from previous experiences and identify lessons for the future •  Identify key principles for RTB seed systems that make them work

or not Audience People who: •  Fund and design RTB seed systems •  Manage RTB research-&-development projects •  Regulate RTB seed production

Methodology

•  11 case studies •  Conceptual framework

–  General context –  Access, availability, quality

•  Specialized seed producers •  Seed users

–  Policy environment: policy makers –  Rapid multiplication techniques: researchers

•  Information from project documents or from the authors’ own experience

•  Cross-case analysis and feedback to refine framework

Framework 1.0

Stakeholder+ Availability/+supply+

+

Accessibility+ Quality7+‘Variety’++(incl.+biodiversity+issues)+

Quality7++• Health+• Physical+

condition+

Delivery(channel(features(

Affordability/(profitability(issues(

Information:+• Awareness+creation+• Demand+creation(

Farmers((home)( ( ( ( ( ( (

NARS(scientists( (((

( ( ( ( (

NARS(extension( ( ( ( ( ( (

Formal(seed(parastatals(

( ( ( ( ( (

Regulatory(bodies( ( ( ( ( ( (

Private(sector(seed( ( ( ( ( ( (

Private(sector(processors(agroAent(

( ( ( ( ( (

Farmer(orgs/cooperatives(

( ( ( ( ( (

NGOs( ( ( ( ( ( (

Traders((local(markets)(

( ( ( ( ( (

IARCs( ( ( ( ( ( (

Service(providers( ( ( ( ( ( (

!

Case studies Crop and country

Leading institution

Main focus

1. Potato, Ecuador CIP A local farmers’ organization produces quality declared potato seed for accessing high value markets

2. Potato, Peru CIP Clean potato seed with funding from a mining company

3. Yam, Nigeria IITA Researchers improve an on-farm technique for planting more land with less seed yam

4. Sweetpotato, Tanzania

CIP Delivering varieties, producing clean seed off-farm, managing vines on-farm, for nutrition and other outcomes

5. Sweetpotato, Rwanda

CIP Similar to case above, with additional pull from a sweetpotato buyer

6. Potato, Kenya CIP Disseminate new varieties and clean seed with rationalized regulations permitting quality declared seed

7.Cassava, Nicaragua

CIAT New varieties for cassava awaken government and farmer interest after a lull of several years, in response to demand by agro-industry

8. Potato, Malawi CIP Gender and seed. Men have better access to land and seed, but a new project fails both genders equally

9. Cassava, W&C Africa

IITA Disseminating new, disease-resistant varieties in seven countries

10. Banana, East Africa

IITA Helping to establish nurseries where communities can harden tissue cultured bananas to sell to farmers

11. Banana, East Africa

Bioversity

A new multiplication technology and training to help farmers manage a new crop disease

Justification, scale, timeframe

Justification •  To mitigate a crop disease emergency •  To improve food security and nutrition •  To access new markets •  To promote the adoption of improved technologies

Scale From a few dozen farmers at pilot sites to multi-national approaches. Timeframe Most of the interventions were short: 24 months or so.

Degeneration

Yam, nematodes

Sweetpotato, SPVD

Cassava, CMD

Potato, Ralstonia

Banana, Xanthomonas

Managing Seed Degeneration

Resistant varieties

On-farm management

Clean seed

Breeding Farmers’ capacity development

Certification

Thomas-Sharma et al., 2015


Resistant varieties

On-farm management

Clean seed


Certification

Current approach


Resistant varieties

On-farm management

Clean seed


Certification

Integrated approach



Policies and regulations

•  Aligning with government policies of the host country is usually a good idea. But, in certain political systems this can be a risk (Nicaragua). Seed can also be a tool for politicians (Ecuador).

•  Nearly all countries have some regulations regarding RTB seed, although enforcement may vary, and may be difficult to implement.

•  In some of the cases, project staff were able to influence policy change (Ecuador, Tanzania, Kenya).

•  it is still not clear how to define the appropriate levels of oversight in RTB seed, especially to avoid seed degeneration. Quality-declared planting material (QDPM) is an option, but it remains to be seen its effect in the long run.

QDS - QDPM

Policies and regulations

Clayuca, Nicaragua Conpapa, Ecuador

Critical information

•  Implementing key studies (cost-benefit analysis of clean seed, effect of degeneration on yield and quality, etc.) before the project starts can be an unaffordable task.

•  This is probably why none of the cases described here did such studies. But several of them did some sort of cost-benefit analysis (some more rigorous than others) during the intervention.

•  Seed systems need action-research, including the formulation of explicit assumptions about the intervention and a plan for collecting information.

Existing seed systems and farmers’ practices: Gender

•  Need to be well understood before designing a project. •  Since informal seed sector is so important in RTB seed,

a basic principle should be: Build the intervention on existing seed systems and current practices.

•  But most of the projects created new networks of multipliers, even if this meant avoiding existing seed multipliers or distributors.

•  Understanding gender is critical for making a positive impact. Best practices in Marando Bora (sweetpotato) and Malawi case (potato).

Existing seed systems and farmers’ practices: Gender

Marando Bora, sweetpotato

Super Food, sweetpotato

Malawi, potato

Farmer-demand for clean seed

•  Several studies had a theory of change that assumed that smallholders would specialize in producing quality planting materials and become entrepreneurial suppliers.

•  Few of the case studies explicitly described farmer demand for these activities.

•  Project staff often have an idea of demand, based on previous experience with the farming community, even if these demands are not formally expressed.

•  As the market develops, farmers increase their income and are able to afford quality seed.

•  Be realistic when estimating farmer demand for clean planting material. The studies show that farmers may buy seed if they have somewhere to sell their product, especially if industry demands a new variety.

CONPAPA Case

Rwanda Superfood case study

Type of buyer Number of cuttings sold

Percent (%)

Farmer groups 15,242 1.5 NGOs 715,305 70.2 Government institutions 61,000 6.0 Individual farmers 217,414 21.3 Farmer cooperatives 10,534 1.0 Total cuttings 1,019,495 100.0

Multiplication techniques

•  Projects spend too much time creating new, specialized seed systems, with complex multiplication techniques: aeroponics, tissue culture, macropropagation, etc. There is a consistent bias for high-technology.

•  But these techniques are prone to failure because they require new skills, capital and labor.

•  Projects should be working primarily on seed technologies that can be used on farm.

•  Projects have no clear protocol or criteria for selecting technologies. A decision support system is urgently needed.

Tissue culture, sweetpotato

Tissue culture, banana

Multiplication techniques

Aeroponics, Potato

Positive selection, potato

Yam’s multiplication techniques

Cajamarca case study

Aeroponics as a tool for fund raising, but with poor sustainability

3G case study

Using the framework: Stakeholder Availability/

supply Accessibility Quality, variety

(incl. biodiversity)

Quality: health, physical condition

Delivery channel features

Affordability/ profitability issues

Info to create awareness &

demand Policy makers Allowed Conpapa

(farmer org) to produce QDS

Used quality criteria from Conpapa to set new seed standards

National research Develops & releases varieties Provides certified seed

Fortipapa, project forged links between actors

International research

CIP supported multi-stakeholder platforms

Traders (local markets )

Private seed sector

Farmer organizations

Set production plans of QDS

Bought certified seed. Organized sales of QDS to farmers

QDS lowered price of seed

Promoted commercial varieties, e.g. by FFS

Conpapa provided quality control

Made standards more realistic

NGOs NGOs* bought seed from Conpapa

PMCA helped share info between actors

Private sector processors

Supermarkets & restaurants stimulated demand for quality ware potatoes

Supermarkets demanded quality (e.g. size, health, constant supply)

Seed users Women, indigenous farmers could afford QDS seed

Demanded the varieties offered**

Accepted quality of the seed

Using the framework

Functions: a) As description of how seed system currently functions b) As set of linked recommendations for each stakeholder to make it work better Challenges: a)  Seed systems are highly context- and crop-specific b)   Need for generating rigorous evidence to provide

more alternatives for managing degeneration and other key issues in seed systems

Formal potato seed systems: results so far in selected developing countries

Country Formal seed system (%)

Informal seed system (%) Reference

Afghanistan 0 100 Kadian et al., 2007

Bangladesh 5 95 Ilangantileke et al., 2001

Bhutan 2 98 Kadian et al., 2007

Bolivia 2 98 Hidalgo et al., 2011

China 20 80 Muthoni et al., 2013

Colombia 2-10 90-98 FPAPA, 2010; Guzmán-Barney et al., 2012

Ecuador 1-3 97-99 Thiele, 1999; ESPAC, 2012

Ethiopia 1 99 Gildemacher et al., 2009

India 20 80 Kadian et al., 2007

Indonesia 6 94 Muthoni et al., 2013

Kenya 2 98 Gildemacher et al., 2009

Pakistan 5 95 Muthoni et al., 2013

Peru 0.5 99 Hidalgo et al., 2011

Uganda 0.1 99.9 Gildemacher et al., 2009 Thomas-Sharma et al., 2015

Partners

Thank you

a conceptual framework to analyze rtb seed systems...

Documents