Africa’s evolving vegetable seed sector: status, policy options and lessons from Asia

Abstract

Fostering better access to more nutritious foods across sub-Saharan Africa will be critical to ending hunger and malnutrition. In Asia, vegetable production and consumption have grown rapidly since the 1990s and the development of a dynamic vegetable seed industry, led by the private sector, played a pivotal role in this process. The availability of locally-bred and adapted varieties facilitated the rapid expansion of production and increased the supply of affordable vegetables to consumers. In contrast, the vegetable seed sector in sub-Saharan Africa has been slow to develop and has received little attention in the development agenda. Drawing from Asia’s experience, this paper outlines a four-point strategy to accelerate the vegetable seed sector in sub-Saharan Africa. First, there is a need to strengthen the technical capacity of African seed companies to allow them to develop varieties that are well-adapted to local conditions and consumer preferences. Second, seed regulations, originally designed with food grains in mind, should be reviewed and revised to facilitate domestic vegetable breeding research and seed production. Third, more farmer extension is needed to exploit improved varieties together with good management practices. Fourth, vegetable marketing systems should be strengthened to reduce risks to farmers and traders. Investment in these four areas will help energize private sector investment in the vegetable seed sector. Asian experience suggests that investment in locally adapted vegetable varieties is a critical step in improving productivity, availability and ultimately consumption of nutritious vegetables.

Bacterial Spot of Tomato and Pepper in Africa: Diversity, Emergence of T5 Race, and Management

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“…Open-pollinated varieties developed by national research institutes are very common, although hybrid varieties are becoming popular ( Ugonna et al, 2015 ; Schreinemachers et al, 2021 ). Hybrid seeds are imported in most countries ( Ugonna et al, 2015 ; Schreinemachers et al, 2021 ). Seeds, therefore, play a significant role in disease spread in Africa.…”

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“…The private sector involves a wide array of global, national and local seed companies. The value of the Indian vegetable seed industry is about US$630 million and is predicted to grow rapidly in the coming years (Schreinemachers et al, 2021). Private seed companies invest heavily in research and development, and technological innovation, which is evident from the extensive company activity in the country.…”

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