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Groundnut Seed Systems in West Africa: Current Practices, Constraints and Opportunities

OAR@ICRISAT

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/5286/
 
Title Groundnut Seed Systems in West Africa: Current Practices, Constraints and Opportunities
 
Creator Ndjeunga, J
Ntare, B R
Waliyar, F
Ramouch, M
 
Subject Groundnut
 
Description Low productivity of groundnut-based systems, afl atoxin regulations, and
stricter grades and standards have lowered the competitiveness of the West
African groundnut in the domestic, regional and international markets. To
regain its market, groundnut productivity has to increase through the adoption
of new technologies and the development of sustainable seed systems.
The availability and uptake of high quality seed by farmers is fundamental
to the transformation of predominant traditional agricultural production
practices to achieve increased stability and sustainable food production in West
Africa. New seeds with higher yield potential or ability to relieve constraints
faced by farmers in using traditional varieties form part of the improved inputs
required to increase crop production.
Previous support by the CFC and ICRISAT has been largely successful
in germplasm conservation, variety maintenance and the development of
appropriate groundnut varieties that meet farmers’ preferences and market
requirements. Governments have attempted to develop seed multiplication
and distribution schemes through state seed projects. However, in the light
of increased liberalization of economies and structural adjustment policies,
governments are disengaging from seed production and distribution activities.
There is therefore a need to rethink alternative and sustainable arrangements
for seed production and delivery schemes.
This technical paper summarizes information on the structure, conduct and
performance of formal and informal groundnut seed supply systems in the four
countries of West Africa namely Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. It highlights
a range of technical, socioeconomic, institutional and policy constraints facing
the groundnut seed industry in West Africa. Low and inconsistent supply of
breeder seed, poor seed demand estimation, lack of or non-functional national
variety release committees, inappropriate institutional arrangements and the
biological features of groundnut have limited the private sector entry and the
performance of the groundnut seed industry. Options likely to be sustainable
should focus on local village seed schemes whereas small-scale private seed
entrepreneurs or community-based seed systems should be encouraged to
become seed entrepreneurs or engaged in the seed industry. There is evidence
of vertical integration between inputs and product markets. Appropriate
linkages between seed and grain producers, and grain producers and processors
are necessary to drive the private sector entry in the seed industry.It is our hope and expectation that this report will provide valuable
information towards improving the performance of groundnut seed markets
and offer alternative and sustainable seed multiplication and delivery options
to smallholder farmers throughout Sub-Saharan Africa where the economies
are still agriculture-dependent
 
Publisher International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
 
Date 2006
 
Type Monograph
NonPeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/5286/1/J172_2006%20CFC%20-40-Eng%20and%20French.pdf
Ndjeunga, J and Ntare, B R and Waliyar, F and Ramouch, M (2006) Groundnut Seed Systems in West Africa: Current Practices, Constraints and Opportunities. Technical Report. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India.