Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa

Project

The Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) aims to enhance access to quality seed by smallholder farmers. It integrates both formal and informal seed systems and fosters participation of both public and private actors in the development of demand-driven seed chains. As a result, this supports the ability of smallholder farmers to produce food sustainably and stimulates economic growth.

Strengthening seed entrepreneurship

KIT supports the performance of national and cross-national seed sectors in Africa. This includes enabling the development of community seed management and local seed businesses, advising on the required enabling policy environment, and improving interaction with formal seed systems. All of these measures have the aim of strengthening seed entrepreneurship.

In partnership with Centre for Development Innovation (CDI), KIT is involved in country-specific programmes in Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Tanzania and Mozambique, as well as in cross-border programmes under the auspices of the African Union.

The new ISSD Africa programme began in September 2014 with the following four priorities:

  • Access to varieties in the public domain
  • Common challenges in promoting entrepreneurship in seed value chains
  • Matching global commitments with national realities, and
  • Supporting the missions of the Africa Union Commission (AUC), Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), Africa Seed and Biotechnology Programme (ASBP) and development of the seed sector.

The ISSD approach promotes partnership among seed sector stakeholders, identifying opportunities that can emerge between different seed systems and seed value chains. Through their interventions the programmes aim to stimulate seed policy innovation, strengthen local seed entrepreneurship and support the emergence of a strong, vibrant and pluralistic seed sector in Africa.

Read more about the ISSD