The project is known as West Africa Seed Development Unit (WASDU)

Introduction and Context

The supply of quality seed to farmers in most West African countries is unsatisfactory, particularly in the staple food sector. In the past decade international and national agricultural research institutes have developed new varieties, which are appropriate to the region's production systems and meet the demands of users and consumers. However, dissemination is too slow and farmers receive inadequate supplies of seed and planting material.

Structural adjustment programmes in the agricultural sector have resulted in government withdrawal from seed production and their activities are now mainly confined to classical government activities such as policy development, quality control and variety development.

Seed multiplication, processing, storage and marketing is being taken over by the private sector. However, a successful commercial seed sector has not yet developed in many countries of the region and countries are struggling to set up a viable private seed sector.

 

Due to the difficult climate for seed production (hot and humid) and the fact that the majority of food crops are considered as low profit crops, it is very difficult to set up profitable seed enterprises. Furthermore, capacities for marketing and business management of seed-producing companies are very limited in the region. Rudimentary seed industries that market seed of cereal and legume crops exist in the region, but no organised system exists for the provision of healthy planting material of root and tuber crops.

Contribution of the project

The project 'Promotion of Seed Production and Marketing in West Africa' was designed to address these problems and to help countries in its mandate region to set up viable seed industries and contributing to increased and stable yields in basic food crops. The project works very closely with the organisations involved in seed and planting material production in the region. The overall objective of the project is, that key seed and planting material sector personnel of West African countries take action to improve seed and planting material production and delivery systems focused on small-scale farmers. The project endeavours to play a catalytic role and to generate a multiplier effect by supporting stakeholders in national seed and planting material industries. The project will not only support the formal seed sector (government and private enterprises), but will also work with the informal seed sector by introducing new improved genetic material into farming communities. The project is also introducing a different methodology to dry and store seed. This technology, which dries (for instance) cereal seed down to 8% moisture content, will make it possible to store seed under ambient condition (using vapour-proof packing material); thus making the use of expensive cold stores not necessary any more. This methodology will also help marketing seed to remote areas, because seed will keep viable much longer (as compared to storage at 11% moisture content).

The project will, furthermore, assist entrepreneurs who are interested in setting up and/or expanding seed enterprises. Another very important area of intervention is the introduction of an alternative technology that makes seed production and marketing more profitable in the hot and humid areas of the region. Finally, a main focus of the project is the support of planting material production and marketing systems.

Targeted results of the project

 

National programmes supported according to respective demand in the provision, multiplication, distribution and maintenance of healthy planting material of root and tuber crops.

Human resources for the private and public seed and planting material sector developed.

Development of model-site in Kumasi for cereal/legumes seed completed and successfully operated.

West African regional seed/planting material sector network initiated and operations started.

Formal and informal seed/planting material sector in selected countries assisted in setting up functioning models for marketing, management and quality control of seed and planting material.