The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania

This article explores the informal seed business, focusing on the yellow bean in Tanzania. The yellow bean is a major bean type traded, yet little is known about the seed supply that fuels it. The survey research in 2019 encompassed larger grain traders, informal seed traders, and retailers, covered...

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Autores principales: Sperling, Louise, Birachi, Eliud Abucheli, Kalemera, Sylvia Monica, Mutua, Mercy Muli, Templer, Noel Anyuka, Mukankusi, Clare, Radegunda, Kessy Francis, Williams, Magdalena, Gallagher, Patrick, Kadege, Edith, Rubyogo, Jean-Claude
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/127069
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author Sperling, Louise
Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
Kalemera, Sylvia Monica
Mutua, Mercy Muli
Templer, Noel Anyuka
Mukankusi, Clare
Radegunda, Kessy Francis
Williams, Magdalena
Gallagher, Patrick
Kadege, Edith
Rubyogo, Jean-Claude
author_browse Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
Gallagher, Patrick
Kadege, Edith
Kalemera, Sylvia Monica
Mukankusi, Clare
Mutua, Mercy Muli
Radegunda, Kessy Francis
Rubyogo, Jean-Claude
Sperling, Louise
Templer, Noel Anyuka
Williams, Magdalena
author_facet Sperling, Louise
Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
Kalemera, Sylvia Monica
Mutua, Mercy Muli
Templer, Noel Anyuka
Mukankusi, Clare
Radegunda, Kessy Francis
Williams, Magdalena
Gallagher, Patrick
Kadege, Edith
Rubyogo, Jean-Claude
author_sort Sperling, Louise
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This article explores the informal seed business, focusing on the yellow bean in Tanzania. The yellow bean is a major bean type traded, yet little is known about the seed supply that fuels it. The survey research in 2019 encompassed larger grain traders, informal seed traders, and retailers, covered major production, distribution and sale hubs, and was complemented by GIS mapping of seed and grain flows and DNA fingerprinting of yellow bean samples. Results showed that traders buy and sell grain and informal seed: it is not one business or the other, but both. Informal seed is an important moneymaker, representing between 15 and 40% of trader business in non-sowing and sowing periods, respectively. In the year monitored, 100% of the yellow bean seed was drawn from the informal sector, amounting to $US 4.35 million just among those sampled. Nevertheless, the informal and formal sectors are clearly linked, as over 60% of the beans sampled derived from modern varieties. Informal traders prove key for: sustaining the grain business, serving the core of the seed business, and moving varieties at scale. More explicit efforts are needed to link the informal sector to formal research and development partners in order to achieve even broader impacts.
format Journal Article
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language Inglés
publishDate 2021
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spelling CGSpace1270692025-11-11T18:55:46Z The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania Sperling, Louise Birachi, Eliud Abucheli Kalemera, Sylvia Monica Mutua, Mercy Muli Templer, Noel Anyuka Mukankusi, Clare Radegunda, Kessy Francis Williams, Magdalena Gallagher, Patrick Kadege, Edith Rubyogo, Jean-Claude common beans informal sector business enterprises seeds trade informal seed business traders seed sector development This article explores the informal seed business, focusing on the yellow bean in Tanzania. The yellow bean is a major bean type traded, yet little is known about the seed supply that fuels it. The survey research in 2019 encompassed larger grain traders, informal seed traders, and retailers, covered major production, distribution and sale hubs, and was complemented by GIS mapping of seed and grain flows and DNA fingerprinting of yellow bean samples. Results showed that traders buy and sell grain and informal seed: it is not one business or the other, but both. Informal seed is an important moneymaker, representing between 15 and 40% of trader business in non-sowing and sowing periods, respectively. In the year monitored, 100% of the yellow bean seed was drawn from the informal sector, amounting to $US 4.35 million just among those sampled. Nevertheless, the informal and formal sectors are clearly linked, as over 60% of the beans sampled derived from modern varieties. Informal traders prove key for: sustaining the grain business, serving the core of the seed business, and moving varieties at scale. More explicit efforts are needed to link the informal sector to formal research and development partners in order to achieve even broader impacts. 2021-08-09 2023-01-13T15:06:28Z 2023-01-13T15:06:28Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/127069 en Open Access application/pdf MDPI Sperling, L.; Birachi, E.; Kalemera, S.; Mutua, M.; Templer, N.; Mukankusi, C.; Radegunda, K.; William, M.; Gallagher, P.; Kadege, E.; Rubyogo, J.C. (2021) The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania. Sustainability 13: 8897. ISSN: 2071-1050
spellingShingle common beans
informal sector
business enterprises
seeds
trade
informal seed business
traders
seed sector development
Sperling, Louise
Birachi, Eliud Abucheli
Kalemera, Sylvia Monica
Mutua, Mercy Muli
Templer, Noel Anyuka
Mukankusi, Clare
Radegunda, Kessy Francis
Williams, Magdalena
Gallagher, Patrick
Kadege, Edith
Rubyogo, Jean-Claude
The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania
title The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania
title_full The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania
title_fullStr The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania
title_full_unstemmed The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania
title_short The informal seed business: Focus on yellow bean in Tanzania
title_sort informal seed business focus on yellow bean in tanzania
topic common beans
informal sector
business enterprises
seeds
trade
informal seed business
traders
seed sector development
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/127069
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