ISHS Acta Horticulturae 752: I International Conference on Indigenous Vegetables and Legumes. Prospectus for Fighting Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition
SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE SEED SYSTEMS FOR NON-HYBRID CROPS |
| Authors: | R.B. Jones, J.J. Rakotoarisaona |
| Keywords: | Open-pollinated, production, marketing, foundation seed enterprises |
| Abstract:
Despite public breeding efforts that have led to the development of improved open-pollinated indigenous vegetable and legume varieties, widespread adoption of these improved varieties by smallholder farmers has been inconsistent. Limited adoption results from several factors including poorly organized output marketing channels reducing the incentives for farmers to invest in seeds of improved varieties, lack of information on improved varieties and their performance under local conditions, and lack of availability of quality seed of improved varieties. It was expected that the liberalization of seed markets would have stimulated commercial investment in seed production and marketing, but this has largely been restricted to hybrid crops where there is a regular demand for fresh seed and protection of intellectual property. This paper describes an integrated approach to both - improve the adoption of open-pollinated crops and to develop sustainable seed supply systems through the establishment of Foundation Seed Enterprises (FSEs) that not only market foundation seed, but provide access to storage and processing facilities, technical support in seed production and marketing, and business development services. | |
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