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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 partners. Outline. Context: Integrated Seed Sector Development Local Seed Business Development project Regional partnerships What next.

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

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

  2. Key partners

  3. Outline • Context: Integrated Seed Sector Development • Local Seed Business Development project • Regional partnerships • What next

  4. 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 multiplication Marketing

  5. 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

  6. Seed sectors in Ethiopia

  7. 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

  8. Local Seed Business

  9. 33 LSB sites in five regions Regions: • Amhara • Oromia East • Oromia South & West • SNNPR • Tigray • Variation in agro-ecology

  10. Crops

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. Process approach

  16. 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

  17. Local Seed Business Development Marwoled - 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

  18. Local Seed Business Development Kayoo – 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

  19. Local Seed Business Development Haramaya – Oromia region • RaareeHoraa 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

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. 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

  24. 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 ….

  25. Topics address through projects in 2010 • Quality • Marketing • Early generation seed Not LSB coordination unit but other seed sector stakeholder is taking the lead in project implementation

  26. Activities in the different regions Quality • Analysis and follow up Amhara • Support seed producers • Establish independent certification body Oromia • Awareness creation and follow up SNNPR • Check the quality before distribution Tigray

  27. 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

  28. What next: ISSD phase II

  29. Thank you! Read more in the LSB newletterscheck out http://apf-ethiopia.ning.com/page/seeds-1

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