Record Details

Village Seed Banks:An integrated seed system for improved seed production and supply – A case study

OAR@ICRISAT

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/200/
 
Title Village Seed Banks:An integrated seed system for improved seed production and supply – A case study
 
Creator Ravinder Reddy, Ch
Nigam, S N
Rao, P P
Ahmed, S
Ratnakar, R
Alur, A S
Ashok Kumar, A
Reddy, B V S
Gowda, C L L
 
Subject Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
 
Description Quality seed of improved varieties is an important basic input for enhancing productivity
of any crop species. Existing mechanisms to meet the groundnut seed requirements of
small-scale farmers are not adequate and have serious limitations. Private seed sector is
reluctant to produce and market seed of open pollinated varieties/ self pollinated crops such
as groundnut for economic consideration. A joint venture project between the International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Department of Rural
Development (DRD), Government of Andhra Pradesh was launched in Mahbubnagar
district in 2009 with the objective to improve access to and availability of good quality seed
of farmer-preferred improved groundnut varieties particularly to smallholder farmers at
affordable prices and at the right time to enhance crop productivity income and household
food security. Efforts to improve the performance of the agricultural sector should include
seed production, storage and delivery system at village level rather than in urban centers.
The baseline studies in the project area identified key problems related to groundnut seed
supply system. Lack of timely availability of good quality seeds of high-yielding varieties
is one of the major constraints contributing to stagnant yields of groundnut crop in the
project area where it is grown in postrainy season under irrigated conditions. The other
constrains include lack of proper storage facilities at farm/household level, storage insect
pests, and farmers’ perception of better performance of seed obtained from outside
over locally produced seed. The project devised alternate seed systems, which ensure
availability of quality seed of improved varieties at local level and integration of informal
seed enterprises and farmers in the seed production and supply systems to enable timely
availability of quality seed at the door-step of farmers. The concept of village seed banks
was promoted and successfully validated in the project villages in Mahbubnagar district in
Andhra Pradesh. It not only ensured timely availability of quality seed of farmer-preferred
varieties at affordable price at local level but also enhanced crop productivity and local
seed enterprises leading to higher incomes to farmers. The village seed model can be
replicated elsewhere and to other crops as well.
 
Publisher International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
 
Date 2010
 
Type Monograph
NonPeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/200/1/324_2010_IB_87_SS_Bulletin_VSB.pdf
Ravinder Reddy, Ch and Nigam, S N and Rao, P P and Ahmed, S and Ratnakar, R and Alur, A S and Ashok Kumar, A and Reddy, B V S and Gowda, C L L (2010) Village Seed Banks:An integrated seed system for improved seed production and supply – A case study. Monograph. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics.