1. Overview of results and lessons: September 2009
CIAT KARI EIAR SARI
Louise Sperling David Karanja Setegn Gebeyehu Fitsum Alamayehu
Jean Rubyogo Tarcisius Mutuoki Endeshaw Habte Fikadu
Enid Katungi Wilfred Odhiambo Kidane Tumsa Ketema
David Wozemba Daisy Rono Kassaye Negash
Clare Mukankusi Kavoi
Andy Farrow
Steve Beebe
TLII Seed Systems Mee>ng: November 16‐20, 2009

2. 1. Give farmers’ access to drought-tolerant
varieties
• Increase production/ stabilize production
• Decrease Food Aid/Seed Aid
-----------------------------
2. Stimulate development of seed + commodity
agro-enterprise

3.  Having sufficient IniNal supplies of foundaNon and
cerNfied seed
 Making supplies available in drought‐prone zones
 Developing diffusion strategies which are fast‐ but also
which reach those in drought –prone zones‐ incl.
women and the poor
 CreaNng demand, raising awareness: (which strategies)
 (doing all of the above – understanding cost‐benefits,
including economic cost, health risks

4.  Scale up foundaNon + cerNfied seed
 Scale up and diversify scores of partnerships
 Decentralize producNon and delivery, with
partners, in target zones
 SNmulate pro‐poor markeNng
Tes>ng op>ons, monitoring, evalua>ng: how to
maximize impact

5. FoundaNon /cerNfied Decentralized Seed producNon
Direct producNon‐NARS District/Gov’t officers supporNng
Direct ProducNon‐ NARS seed unit, individual farmers
contract farmers NGOs supporNng individual farmers
Private seed companies Farmer CooperaNves/Unions
(Farmer CooperaNves) CBSS
Delivery/markeNng
Small pack sale; open markets
Small pack sale country stores
Small pack sale : agro‐dealers
Sale in open markets: seed/grain traders
Exchange through loans/payment: project based
Direct farmer to farmer diffusion (gi_/sale/exchange0
(GOK delivery as relief)

6. 20
.
10
Wider Impact
Conventional
2 6 1 14
0
Years

8. Kenya and Ethiopia: Zones of Action
N-E/D
Lake B CRV E-Dryland
CRV
E-S/C-K dry-lands
S-Dry-lands

9. Season Event
PoliNcal Unrest
Feb to June 2008
Drought‐ central and eastern areas
Sept to Dec 2008 Significant seed aid given
(diverNng supplies)
Feb to June 2009 drought
Sept to Dec 2009 (in progress‐ drought)

10. Ethiopia
Kenya
Solely sale

12.  Partnerships
 Seed produc>on
 Seed quality
 Novel agronomic prac>ces
 Marke>ng
 Agro‐dealer enhancement‐mapping
 Mobile phones and farmer feedback

13. PARTNERSHIPS
Country NARS
Specialized GOs‐ FOs‐ Grain
Seed NGOs CBOs
traders
Producers Church
based
KARI Leldet
Kenya • Dryland seed Co
23 12 2
Katumani Lambe Seed
• issi
K Growers
• joro
N
EIAR ESE
Eth SARI Dawro+ Shetedeno
46 19 4
ARARI MAP private
AREKA cooperaNve
Haremay ELFORA Agro
Univer. industry LTD
Awassa H.WAQO private
Univers seed farm

14. Country Target Results to # Varie>es
date
Kenya 35 29.4 4
Ethiopia * 93 179.4 10
Total 128 208.8 14
* More partners added

15. Country Target Results to date
Western Kenya Countrywide 83.6
only 740 (western
Kenya‐
Ethiopia 1130 685
(provisional)
Total 1870 732.7

16. > 225,000

17.  …….. More refined results, seed
producNon (beyond the milestones)

18. Country Total harvest Propor>on of
(decentralized harvest used as
produc>on MT) seed
Ethiopia 2165.1 42%
Western 136.4 46%
Kenya

19. Gender of farmers participating in Tl2 seed production project
Sept 2008- Feb 2009, western Kenya example
Cycle 1 Cycle 2
Percent of Percent of
Gender Freq farmers Freq farmers
Female 992 80.3 732 61.1
Male 243 19.7 467 39
Total 1235 100 1199 100.1

20. ◦ Seed company
◦ Seed Bulking farmers (trained)
◦ Farmers secondary beneficiaries (Second
cycle beneficiaries‐ non trained)
ISTA lab results
Germination 86.7%
Rubyogo and
Mukankusi, nd)

21.  FoundaNon Seed‐ Kenya NARS (KARI)
 Private Sector Companies (3)
 Community based groups
 Individual seed producers.
All models profit‐making (at different levels)
BUT‐ all also hit by adverse effects of drought

22. Eunice Achieno: Season February – August 2009: 3 cycles
Eunice with beans harvested Her son with beans at pod filling

23. Test markeNng
70 g 10Ksh ($ 0.15)
500g 50ksh
2000g 180Ksh
Rose of Leldet Ltd

24. * Limited sales to date– in agro-dealers

25. Kenya
28,000 packs sold
Sept 08-Jan 09
Ethiopia
CRV:
5500 packs sold
Meher 2009
South:
6260 packs sold
Meher 2009

26. 5404 Customers
 2265 (42%) men
 3139 (58%) women
female
male

27. Basic elements of successful seed marketing
a) Seed production, harvest, conditioning, handling and storage operations must be conducted properly and
carefully, to ensure that the highest possible seed quality is produced at the lowest possible cost.
b) Quality control monitoring and the work of each person must be constantly aimed at quality. Never sell
low-quality seed to farmers; once a farmer has been deceived in the quality of seed he will never again trust
that supplier.
c) Make sure the seed is properly treated so that the seed is protected in the field and in delivery storage.
High quality seed can completely fail in the field if it is not treated for protection against soil pathogens and
insects, short periods of unfavorable weather, and other menaces.
d) Package high quality seed in packages of the size which is most convenient to farmers. The package should
suit the farmer, not the packaging equipment in conditioning plant or the seed company’s convenience.
e) Have technically proper storages which provide the proper safe storage conditions for the seed for the
required period.
f) Have a transport and delivery system which carefully protects seed during transit and gets seed to the
proper places at the proper time.
g) Have a system of market analysis and planning, so a realistic marketing plan can be prepared.
h) ………………………..

28. Mapping Recommendations
23% farmers currently within 1 hr. seed outlet

29.  Feasibility of
distribuNng phones‐‐
to direct farmer
feedback
(KARI and Nodes of
Growth Project)

30.  Small 30‐60 seed packs of
new bean varieNes;
 Empower farmers to
evaluate on their farms;
 Seed Packs are very
cheap (ca. US$0.04).
 Small quanNty of seed
can go a long way
(approx. 66,000 packs
from 1 ton of bean seed)
 Farmers quickly bulk up
seed. One example, Kirinyaga 2007-08:
Farmer rec’d 30 seeds and 2 seasons
later planted 10 kgs- will give 100kgs

32. A program cannot get impact and solving of real bottlenecks
unless leader and teams strategize towards the end user–
people in marginal areas.
Otherwise-- one ends up with results like: ‘ lots of seed
produced----on the supply side

33. Diversification:
• ore seed overall
M
• ore stable seed supply
M
• ore accessible supply
M

34. Decentralized systems prove to be the more durable,
e.g
During the Kenya poliNcal crisis, the private sector
companies withdrew, NARS had limited mobility
while our partners on the ground conNnued seed
producNon and delivery (despite massive populaNon
movement, etc)

35. IniNal small pack markeNng experiments show
farmers and especially women, to be eager to
acquire seed of new varieNes, willing to take
modest risks, and even to pay for small seed
packs .
Small packet markeNng , with decentralized seed
producNon is sNmulaNng demand

36. >25,000 -- three mediocre seasons western kenya
Need GOOD partner on the ground

37. It is crucial to create an urgency for impact
from the start of the project
Pu#ng in place clear M+E systems, managed
by partners, helps to do this.
Seeing ‘first results’ helps spurs all partners to
greater accomplishments.

38. We have been working a good deal of the
supply side.
If we are going to reach parNcular clients–
poor, in remote areas, drought zones‐‐ we
need to work more strategically also on the
demand side

39. In >mes of this ‘food crisis’
• Private Companies prefer to sell their seed at the highest
price (w/ specula>on), rather than honor previous
agreements made with the project .
• overnment obliga>ons in ‘crisis’ usurp seed.
G

41. Original Boklenecks Progress Emerging and Con>nuing
issues
Having sufficient quanNNes of All quanNtaNve targets Concerned about stability of
foundaNon and cerNfied seed reached supply (diversificaNon)
Making supplies available in mulNple decentralized Pair DOWN‐ focus on best
drought‐prone zones producNon and delivery bets
schemes operaNonal
Developing fast, pro‐poor, pro‐ Small packs **** Professionalize small pack
women diffusion‐markeNng markeNng
strategies
Seed loans **** Broaden agro‐dealer
networks/trader agents
Scale up seed loans
CreaNng demand/raising Tested: samples, Clearer analysis of effects of
awareness brochures, radio, DIVERSE awareness‐raising
_____________________ demonstraNons methods
Gender Fragmented/Key insights Make CENTRAL organizing
principle

42. DomesNcaNon and scaling up of promising approaches – e.g.
small packs in other PABRA countries
Malawi,
Zambia,
SA in small scale farming systems
Uganda
Rwanda
Cameroon
Burundi
Tanzania