Local Seed Business Development and Partnerships in Ethiopia Marja Thijssen, Walter de Boef & Mohammed Hassena.

Local Seed Business Development and Partnerships in Ethiopia

Marja Thijssen, Walter de Boef & Mohammed Hassena

Key partnersRegion Organization Coordinator

Amhara Bahir Dar University Tadesse Dessalegn

Oromia East Haramaya University Nigussie Dechassa

Oromia South & West Oromia Seed Enterprise

Kedir Nefo

SNNPR Hawassa University Hussein Mohammed

Tigray Mekelle University Fetien Abay

General, Partnerships Wageningen Marja Thijssen, Mohammed Hassena

ISSD programme Joep van den Broek

Outline

Context: Integrated Seed Sector Development

Local Seed Business Development project Regional partnerships What next

Trend of privatization of the seed sector• Different objectives:

– Public: produce quality seed for food security and rural development

– Private: produce quality seed for profit

• Different crops:– Public: major food crops– Private: profitable seed products

• Different ways to organize seed production– Public: based on national targets – Private: based on sales figures and

predictions

Breeding

Seed multiplicati

on

Marketing

Integrated seed sector development

Principles:• Different roles of private and public sector• Relevance of informal sector (farmer saved)• Integrate informal and formal system• Economic development and food security• Structure of the value chain• Focus on professionalization and market

orientation

Seed sectors in Ethiopia Farmer

saved seed

Local food crops

Sorghum, Teff, Enset

Local varieties

Farmer seed

Own seed and exchange, local

markets

Local seed

business

Variety of food and cash crops

Wheat, barley, beans, potato,

onion, maize (OPV &

HV)

Local and improved varieties

Certified, ‘GDS’ and informal

seed

Variation from contractual,

marketing, NGO and barter

Public seed

enterprises

Major food and cash crops

Maize (hybrid) and wheat

Improved varieties

Certified seed

Dissemination

Private seed

producers

Major food and cash crops

Maize (hybrid), wheat and others

Improved varieties

Certified seed

Contractual towards

marketing

Private seed

companies

High value crops

Maize and exotic vegetables

Hybrid varieties

Certified seed

Marketing

Local Seed Business Development Promote the local availability of quality

seed of farmer preferred, adapted varieties Support farmer groups involved in seed

production, to become: Technically better equipped More commercial More autonomous

Marketing at local, i.e. kebele and woreda level Local economic development Local seed security

Local Seed Business

Variety of food and cash crops

Wheat, barley, beans, potato, groundnut, teff, onion,

maize (OPV & HV)

Local and improved varieties

Certified, ‘QDS’ and informal seed

Variation from contractual, marketing, NGO and barter

33 LSB sites in five regions

Regions: Amhara Oromia East Oromia South

& West SNNPR Tigray

Variation in agro-ecology

Crops

Variation among 33 farmer groups Type of organizations:

Cooperatives – seed producer, irrigation, multi-purpose; Farmer Research Groups; informal groups

Years involved in commercial seed production: 1997 – 2009

Number of farmers involved: 30 – more than 200

Market arrangements: Contractual to public seed enterprise or BoA;

Contractual to Union; NGOs; informal markets

Coordination units at 4 Universities

Position, strengthen universities as independent development facilitators

Work through evidence based sector interventions

Sector specific education and professional development

Facilitate innovation and learning at local, regional and national levels

Embed all activities within existing structures

Strengthening LSBs

Farmer groups supported through: Innovator teams: agri-business, farmer

organization and seed experts Who work in close collaboration with local

partners: WoA, RSEs, CPAs, NGOs In consultation of regional partners: BoA, RARIs,

RSEs, NGOs

Strengthening LSBs

Type of support: Training, facilitation, backstopping Small investment grants Targeted actions: cooperative management,

financial management, access to basic seed, seed quality assurance, development of business plan and marketing strategy

MSc research

Mar 09: Inception workshop; identifica-tion 24 sites

Aug: Training innovators and students;Oct–Dec: Analysis & documentation sites

Jan 10: Regional workshops;Mar: National workshop & seminar;May: national training innovators, partnership facilitators, students

Mar-Dec: Implementa-tion action plans; development business plans; Identification of 9 new sites

Jan 11:Regional workshops;March:National workshop; May: Seminar & round tables;March onwards:Implementa-tion action plans, working towards LSB consolidation

Process approach

Local Seed Business Development

Habes - Tigray Started as FREG working on

PVS with Mekelle university Hiwot SPC: 50 members Fragile environment Local and improved varieties

of barley and wheat Bartering system

Local Seed Business DevelopmentMarwoled - Amhara

region Contract growing for ESE Started as infomal group Marwoled SPC: 127

members Highly experienced

farmers Clustering Sophisticated in hybrid

maize Towards autonomy in

marketing

Local Seed Business DevelopmentKayoo – SNNPR

Kayoo SPC: 147 members

White seeded bean for Sidama Union on contract

Large local demand for red seeded bean

PVS, seed production, packaging for local market

Degree of autonomy build by SHA

Local Seed Business DevelopmentHaramaya – Oromia region

Raaree Horaa SPC: 30 members

Link with Haramaya University

Access to basic seed of potato

Good market for quality potato seed

Strict quality control system

Smart scheme in out growers & membership

2010 production figures for 24 1st generation LSBs Seed produced of 8 crops of 24 varieties 7 LSBs involved in PVS to increase variety portfolio 2,900 tons of seed produced (1038 for wheat; 819

for maize, 803 for potato) 55% of seed entered formal system (maize, wheat,

haricot bean, teff) Seed price 13% on top of grain price (haricot bean)

to 233% on top (potato) 2500 farmers obtained average gross benefit of

7,200 ETB Seed produced will serve 170,000 farm

households, generating 91 million ETB additional income nationally

Conclusions LSB development

LSBs do serve a niche in the Ethiopian seed system, and have the potential to contribute considerably to local seed supply

Not one blanket LSB model Consolidation needed Not all issues can be solved at the local level;

strategic issues need higher level decision making

Regional partnerships

Regional partnerships in seed sector development

Establish partnerships that facilitate innovation in the institutional set-up of the seed sector at national and regional level through a two-way learning process

B

C

A

Regional partnerships Common partners

Bureau of Agriculture Regional Research Institute Cooperative promotion and marketing University Public seed enterprises Private seed companies NGOs

Representatives in regional core group Regional platform

Common issues

Quality problem Inefficiency in seed distribution Early generation seed availability Missing links between stakeholders Accountability Low capacity of seed producers Limited participation of private sector ….

Topics address through projects in 2010

1. Quality2. Marketing3. Early generation seed

Not LSB coordination unit but other seed sector stakeholder is taking the lead in project implementation

Activities in the different regions

Tigray• Check the quality before

distribution

Oromia

• Support seed producers• Establish independent certification

bodySNNP

R• Awareness creation

and follow up

Amhara

• Analysis and follow up

Quality

Lessons learnt

Out of the box thinking is needed for innovations in the seed sector

Can be achieved through linking and strongly involve regional stakeholders

Evidence needed (innovation projects) for regional decision makers to promote change

What next: ISSD phase II

ISSD Sector Component

Enabling and evolving policies

Private seed companies

Private seed producers

LSB Consolidation

LSB Scaling up

Support Service Components

Research and studies

Partnerships

Sharing experiences and

lessons learnt

Capacity development

Thank you!

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