Session facilitators and speakers:

  • Walter de Boef, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
  • Chris Ojiewo, CIMMYT/SeedEqual
  • Mainza Mugoya, TASAI, Uganda
  • Abrham Assefa, World Vision, South Sudan
  • Tefera Haile, Mercy Corps, Ethiopia
  • Shawn McGuire, FAO, Italy
  • Stephen Walsh, USAID, USA

Summary:
Institutional markets constitute a significant share of the seed markets in many countries with a context of conflict and crises. They have the potential to power the growth of the seed sector, however, they are often a leading cause of market distortion and thereby hamper a healthy and viable development of a seed sector. Humanitarian and food security programmes purchase and disseminate seed to support smallholder farmers’ seed security with the aim to restore, enhance and increase food production, food security and nutrition, and enhance the resilience of food systems. Such humanitarian and seed aid type of interventions have become a major concern in terms of the sustainable business models of a diversity of seed entrepreneurs; concerns are related to the size of the seed demand, the ad-hoc nature of purchases, the inability of institutional buyers to engage in long-term contracts with seed companies, and the practice of procuring seed in bulk in national and international markets. Practices in dissemination vary in making available seed freely or at subsidized rates, often with questionable quality and varieties matching more the supply then demand. With the practice of procuring seed in bulk and repackaging, farmers don’t know who produced the seed they grow and cannot go back to the seed company in case of quality complaints. Putting substandard seed in the market undermines farmers’ trust in the seed sector.

During a panel discussion with leaders from humanitarian and donor organizations operating both in Ethiopia and South Sudan at national and more local levels, and more from a global level (FAO and USAID), we addressed the following questions: What are examples of good practices in the procurement and dissemination of seed within your programme HDP Nexus programmes? What are challenges and opportunities?

Abrham Assefa shared how WorldVision in South Sudan over the past years has supported the evaluation of varieties adapted to local conditions, and subsequently invested in the capacity of seed companies in the production of seed of those varieties. In that manner, a development approach has been taken to enhance the capacity in the country to produce seed required for its seed aid programmes. Tefera Haile from Mercy Crops shared how in food insecure areas in Ethiopia a direct link has been made between seed market development and enhancing seed sector resilience. Both Shawn McGuire of FAO and Stephen Walsh of USAID share good practices but also major challenges for their respective organizations to take a sustainable seed sector development focus when their organization engage in immediate responses through seed aid.

During a debate, all participants discussed three statements including two rounds of voting:

  1. When emergency seed aid is becoming repetitive, national authorities have to instruct humanitarian agencies to transition gradually towards community- and market based seed interventions.
  2. In countries with an emerging seed industry, seed procurement by humanitarian agencies should not disrupt the development of the seed sector. Thus: humanitarian agencies should go for lower standards of quality seed with a specific label instead of certified seed.
  3. HDP nexus organizations working with emergency seed aid should only work with seed companies registered with the appropriate national seed authority.

Quickly a majority proved in favour of the first statement, while concerning the second statement, all participants remained divided, seeking more nuance what are the implications of using multiple quality standards in seed aid.

For the third statement, while at first a majority was in favour, upon debate especially considering more informal and community based seed systems and also the limited presence of seed industry for vegetatively propagated crops, the audiences in the final vote proved against the statement. During the concluding panel, the members reflected on the vote and value of having an open discussion bringing the organizations in the HDP nexus together with those representing the seed sector in Africa.

Key takeaways from the session:

  • Moving forward in addressing major challenges in institutional markets, organizations operating in the HDP nexus intervening in the seed sector, their donors, and organizations with a knowledge of the seed sector and its functioning need to team up to break the negative impact of seed aid on the sustainability of the seed sector, explore new practices and engage how to transition to more sustainable and seed sector friendly practices in seed aid.
  • When emergency seed aid is becoming repetitive, national authorities have to instruct humanitarian agencies to transition gradually towards community- and market based seed interventions
  • HDP nexus organizations working with emergency seed aid and strengthening seed sector resilience should be conscious of the multiple seed systems as well as the differences in seed systems for different crops
  • Using multiple standards of quality seed with a specific label should be explored and piloted within humanitarian organizations intervening in the seed sector as way to avoid its negative impact on the seed market and thereby seed sector development.