High quality seeds as an opportunity to secure nutrition in the long-term

An African farmer produced in 2014 around one ton of grain per hectare, less than half the harvest of an Indian and less than a quarter of a Chinese farmer. Not enough, especially in the face of the high population growth in Africa.

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper resently presented approaches on how high-quality seed can be produced and marketed successfully to secure the food supply in the country and especially in the city for the long term.

Hybrid seed is considered to be particularly effective in order to increase crop yields in harmony with nature. Productive, robust and locally prevalent sorts of crops are promoted at organic seed farms through negative selection by supressing unwanted variations in the line of succession over several generations. Cooperatives in Kenya acquired through international assistance an increase in harvesting of hybrid maize by 130% and a hybrid potato harvest rise of 40%. Kenya for instance promotes small businesses which improve particular food crops which are neglected by large companies or businesses which rediscover repressed species. The hybrid seed finds also acceptance and dissemination in African smallholders. Nevertheless, this approach alone is not sufficient to safe the food supply of a country in the long term, according to the UN World Agriculture Report. Complementary to this commercial seed markets in Africa have to be established and organized more efficient and national rules should be harmonized for seed trade. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra) distinguishes five stages of market development:

• Level 1 (eg, Angola, Congo, Liberia) There is a lack of seed strategy, research institutes and laws. Certified seed is only exceptionally imported into help programs.
• Level 2 (eg Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Madagascar, Senegal) Governments encourage plant breeding programs, but there is a lack of seed producers and opportunities for distribution.
• Level 3 (eg Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania) Functioning breeding systems with the appropriate administration are present, barely competition between them.
• Level 4 (eg, Kenya, Uganda) Dynamic markets are developing. Between 20 – 80% of farmers have access to certified seeds.
• Level 5 (South Africa) A mature efficient seed market is established.

Read and see more (unfortunately some sources are only avalaible in German):
M. M. Haefliger. A very special market functioning seed markets are a prerequisite for the modernization of the African agricultural societies and fragmented and inefficient markets. Neue Zürcher Journal of 23 January 2016. Page 15 access via the link http://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/bessere-ernten-dank-mehr-markt-1.18681349

Cross-reference to www.students4Kids. Best Practice. With the strengthening of a regional value chain for food security