Conference session: Monday 21st June 12:00 CEST. Join us in examining the impact and scalability of local seed business models in Ethiopia, Myanmar and Uganda
This session has taken place. A recording will be shared on this website in due course.
Long has the viability of schemes commonly referred to as community-, village-, smallholder-, and local seed production been debated. Demand for seed of modern varieties is highly elastic and easily saturated at village level, and cost recovery is unlikely if the full costs of source seed, seed inspections and advisory services are factored in.
This makes for an imperfect market from a neoclassical economist’s perspective. But just how big a problem are these market imperfections when governments and donors are looking to make a social impact?
Join us in examining the impact and scalability of local seed business models for the better-half of the last decade in Ethiopia, Myanmar and Uganda, and discussing policy options for sustainably increasing the availability of locally-adapted and preferred varieties of important field crops.
Session objectives:
- Share achievements of ISSD Ethiopia, ISSD Myanmar, and ISSD Uganda;
- Provide proof of LSB concept;
- Display the return on public investment;
- Increase visibility of partners knowledgeable in LSB development;
- Promote the LSB model so that others take up support to it;
- Share the story of the LSB journey, so that others know what to expect to invest elsewhere;
- Advance the debate on the sustainability of community-based seed production.
Speakers (pending confirmation):
Moderator
Gareth Borman, Advisor agri-sector transformation, Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI)
Panellists
- Christine Joyce Adong, Agricbusiness Coordinator, ISSD Uganda
- John MacRobert, Mukushi Seeds, Zimbabwe
- Abishkar Subedi, Advisor agrobiodiversity & seed systems – ISSD Myanmar, WCDI
Prepare for the session
ISSD Ethiopia: Seed for Business
ISSD Uganda: Local Seed Business