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Towards
sustainable maize seed production and supply systems in western Kenya
and Uganda
S. Mugo, M. Siambi, G. Bigirwa, G.
Odhiambo, D. Beck, A. Diallo & P. Kibwika
Seed is an
essential, strategic, and relatively inexpensive input with a high rate
of return to investment that often sets the upper limit for maize
production and stability. Lack of quality seed of improved varieties
limits maize production. Lack of seed is attributed to ineffective seed
production and distribution systems for resource poor smallholder
farmers. The formal sector, consisting of private and public seed
enterprises, is better developed in Kenya than in Uganda, but mainly
caters to wealthier farmers. The informal sector including NGOs, NARS,
and community based seed efforts, has great potential to supply seed for
resource poor farmers but is underdeveloped for various reasons.
Numerous strategies have been proposed to more adequately supply seed to
farmers. This paper reports
on a seed project started in 2000 with the principal objective to
develop sustainable maize production systems.
Activities of the project include: 1) to improve the capacity of
NARS to produce breeder and basic seed of improved maize varieties; 2)
expose farmers to improved maize varieties through extensive on-farm
variety testing using the mother and baby trial approach; 3) allow
farmers to evaluate and select suitable varieties for the their
conditions; 4) develop effective seed production and distribution
systems among farming communities in collaboration with appropriate
public institutions and private seed companies. Breeders’ seed
production has been enhanced. Results
of multi-location trials and farmer evaluations from the nearly 200
mother and baby trials in six districts in western Kenya and two
districts in Uganda indicated that the approach greatly enhanced
farmers’ knowledge base and generates information that compliments the
efforts by breeders to develop well-adapted and acceptable maize
varieties. Experiences with farmer associations (mainly women groups)
have showed that farmers can produce good quality seeds if offered
training and assured of markets for their seeds. Development of farmer
associations producing seeds is going on in Northern Uganda and western
Kenya where these are less developed than in Eastern Uganda.
This paper discusses the various strategies employed by the
project and includes an assessment of progress made in developing the
seed production systems.
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