Informal Commercial Seed Systems: Leave, Suppress or Support Them?

Abstract

Smallholder farmers require seed systems that can meet diverse functions: move a range of planting material; spread specialty varieties (climate-resilient or nutrient-dense varieties); reach last-mile areas; and perform in high-stress contexts. Acknowledging that smallholders use both formal and informal systems, this article focuses on the latter and on a component largely unexamined to date: informal commercial seed systems (ICSSs). Four evidence-based cases show how ICCSs contribute to varied seed system functions. In Tanzania, traders have moved multiple modern bean varieties countrywide and within just a few years. In the remote Ugandan north, traders have commercialized the sale of sweetpotato vines (produced off-season) to those lacking their own critical marshlands. In Bolivia, traders routinely sell native and modern varieties of seed tubers to farmers, along with their commerce in ware potatoes. In central Mali, a cluster of villages produces and sells pearl millet seed that is specially adapted to extreme drought conditions. All four cases share key characteristics: they distinguish seed vs. grain, serve local, regional, and international customers, and, perhaps most importantly, are sustained without subsidy or project support. As ICSSs meet farmers’ demands for seed that is not supplied by other actors, a question remains as to whether ICSSs should be left alone, leveraged, or improved further. Recognizing possible legal and operational challenges, this article suggests that ICSSs first be studied in-depth—characterizing their variations, locales, and system functions—so that future debates on possible support can be grounded in concrete evidence of ICSSs’ strengths, weaknesses, and unique benefits.

Enhancing Cowpea Productivity in the Sahel: Exploring Seed Access among Smallholder Farmers in South-Central Niger

“…They are places where farmers converge to buy and sell various goods, including seeds. The significance of rural markets in acquiring seed highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions to strengthen and streamline these informal channels [26].…”

“…Informal seed systems are not supplementary to the formal seed sector but are the foundation for crop production on smallholder farms. Strengthening informal seed systems involves recognizing their value, addressing challenges, and supporting practices that enhance their resilience [12,25,26]. Interventions to strengthen the informal seed systems could include the following.…”

Pathogen and pest risks to vegetatively propagated crops in humanitarian contexts: Toward a national plant health risk analysis for Cameroon and Ethiopia

“…Vegetative propagation increases the risk of seed degeneration, or the build-up of pests and pathogens in seed, leading to subsequent infestation and infection (Gibson & Kreuze, 2015; Jacobsen et al, 2019; Thomas-Sharma et al, 2017; Thomas-Sharma et al, 2016). Seed degeneration can be exacerbated by informal trade if growers unknowingly spread pests and pathogens to other growers through casual or unregulated trade (Scott, 2021; Sperling & Almekinders, 2023; Sperling et al, 2020). Informal trade of RTB crops is the primary method for growers in low-income countries to acquire seed, providing little or no phytosanitary control (Sperling & McGuire, 2010).…”