Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda

The overdependency on local cassava varieties and informal seed sources by farmers in Rwanda has contributed to the spread of cassava viral diseases. The use of improved planting materials made available through formal seed sources, that assure seed quality, is one way to prevent future disease outb...

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Main Authors: Kilwinger, Fleur B.M., Mugambi, S., Manners, Rhys, Schut, Marc, Tumwegamire, Silver, Nduwumuremyi, A., Bambara, S., Paauwe, M., Almekinders, Conny J.M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: SAGE Publications 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/117844
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author Kilwinger, Fleur B.M.
Mugambi, S.
Manners, Rhys
Schut, Marc
Tumwegamire, Silver
Nduwumuremyi, A.
Bambara, S.
Paauwe, M.
Almekinders, Conny J.M.
author_browse Almekinders, Conny J.M.
Bambara, S.
Kilwinger, Fleur B.M.
Manners, Rhys
Mugambi, S.
Nduwumuremyi, A.
Paauwe, M.
Schut, Marc
Tumwegamire, Silver
author_facet Kilwinger, Fleur B.M.
Mugambi, S.
Manners, Rhys
Schut, Marc
Tumwegamire, Silver
Nduwumuremyi, A.
Bambara, S.
Paauwe, M.
Almekinders, Conny J.M.
author_sort Kilwinger, Fleur B.M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The overdependency on local cassava varieties and informal seed sources by farmers in Rwanda has contributed to the spread of cassava viral diseases. The use of improved planting materials made available through formal seed sources, that assure seed quality, is one way to prevent future disease outbreaks. In order to increase the availability of, and farmers access to, such materials there is increasing interest to develop seed business models. This study aims to understand seed sourcing practices of different farm typologies to inform the development of tailored seed business models. A total of 390 farmers were interviewed and the collected data was analyzed into clusters, resulting in seven farm typologies. Seed sourcing strategies, seed replacement dynamics and purchasing behavior of these typologies were explored via a seed tracing study. We find that more commercial oriented farmers have better access to formal seed sources. Nevertheless, the majority of farmers in all typologies accessed new varieties and quality cassava seed via informal channels. At both formal and informal sources, cash investments in seed were mainly made by the categories of better-off farmers, and were one-time investments to acquire a new variety. Based on farmers current seed sourcing practices, clarifications on the differences between farmers and their willingness-to-pay, the roles of seed degeneration, cost-benefit analysis, value propositions and profit formulas seem important requirements for the further development of viable cassava seed business models. We conclude that tailoring seed business models can have a high potential as it acknowledges differences among farmers, but that careful coordination is needed to ensure that one approach or intervention does not contrast with and/or undermine the others.
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spelling CGSpace1178442025-11-11T11:06:47Z Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda Kilwinger, Fleur B.M. Mugambi, S. Manners, Rhys Schut, Marc Tumwegamire, Silver Nduwumuremyi, A. Bambara, S. Paauwe, M. Almekinders, Conny J.M. seeds adoption cassava manihot esculenta varieties rwanda The overdependency on local cassava varieties and informal seed sources by farmers in Rwanda has contributed to the spread of cassava viral diseases. The use of improved planting materials made available through formal seed sources, that assure seed quality, is one way to prevent future disease outbreaks. In order to increase the availability of, and farmers access to, such materials there is increasing interest to develop seed business models. This study aims to understand seed sourcing practices of different farm typologies to inform the development of tailored seed business models. A total of 390 farmers were interviewed and the collected data was analyzed into clusters, resulting in seven farm typologies. Seed sourcing strategies, seed replacement dynamics and purchasing behavior of these typologies were explored via a seed tracing study. We find that more commercial oriented farmers have better access to formal seed sources. Nevertheless, the majority of farmers in all typologies accessed new varieties and quality cassava seed via informal channels. At both formal and informal sources, cash investments in seed were mainly made by the categories of better-off farmers, and were one-time investments to acquire a new variety. Based on farmers current seed sourcing practices, clarifications on the differences between farmers and their willingness-to-pay, the roles of seed degeneration, cost-benefit analysis, value propositions and profit formulas seem important requirements for the further development of viable cassava seed business models. We conclude that tailoring seed business models can have a high potential as it acknowledges differences among farmers, but that careful coordination is needed to ensure that one approach or intervention does not contrast with and/or undermine the others. 2021-12 2022-01-31T11:43:20Z 2022-01-31T11:43:20Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/117844 en Open Access application/pdf SAGE Publications Kilwinger, F.B., Mugambi, S., Manners, R., Schut, M., Tumwegamire, S., Nduwumuremyi, A., ... & Almekinders, C.J. (2021). Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda. Outlook on Agriculture, 50(4), 441-454.
spellingShingle seeds
adoption
cassava
manihot esculenta
varieties
rwanda
Kilwinger, Fleur B.M.
Mugambi, S.
Manners, Rhys
Schut, Marc
Tumwegamire, Silver
Nduwumuremyi, A.
Bambara, S.
Paauwe, M.
Almekinders, Conny J.M.
Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda
title Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda
title_full Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda
title_fullStr Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda
title_full_unstemmed Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda
title_short Characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in Rwanda
title_sort characterizing cassava farmer typologies and their seed sourcing practices to explore opportunities for economically sustainable seed business models in rwanda
topic seeds
adoption
cassava
manihot esculenta
varieties
rwanda
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/117844
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