Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs

Where CGIAR breeding programs rely on the private sector for the multiplication and distribution of improved cultivars, persistent challenges have dampened their impact on varietal adoption and turnover rates. Part of the problem is that research and practice in CGIAR and among its national breeding...

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Main Authors: Donovan, Jason, Rutsaert, Pieter, Spielman, David J., Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia, Demont, Matty
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: SAGE Publications 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142840
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author Donovan, Jason
Rutsaert, Pieter
Spielman, David J.
Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia
Demont, Matty
author_browse Demont, Matty
Donovan, Jason
Rutsaert, Pieter
Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia
Spielman, David J.
author_facet Donovan, Jason
Rutsaert, Pieter
Spielman, David J.
Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia
Demont, Matty
author_sort Donovan, Jason
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Where CGIAR breeding programs rely on the private sector for the multiplication and distribution of improved cultivars, persistent challenges have dampened their impact on varietal adoption and turnover rates. Part of the problem is that research and practice in CGIAR and among its national breeding program partners tend to treat the private sector as a vehicle for seed delivery, rather than as commercial businesses facing a range of unique constraints and threats. This paper adopts a value chain framework to examine these relationships and pathways for improved varietal adoption/turnover outcomes in three cases: hybrid maize, farmed fish, and rice. In the first two cases, weak incentives and high risks left seed companies reluctant to invest in the marketing and quality assurance efforts needed to realize near-term impacts at scale from breeding investments. In the third case, seed companies played an insignificant role: grain traders supplied certified seed to smallholders, potentially prioritizing consumers’ quality preferences over climate-resilience and stress-tolerance traits for farmers. The findings raise important questions about the role of CGIAR and national breeding programs; specifically, how these programs can effectively support the private sector to deliver impact at greater scale, how consumer preferences are captured in trait prioritization within breeding programs, and what types of incentive mechanisms can be changed within breeding programs to advance a genuine shift towards ‘demand-oriented’ plant breeding.
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spelling CGSpace1428402025-12-08T10:11:39Z Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs Donovan, Jason Rutsaert, Pieter Spielman, David J. Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Demont, Matty value chains seeds plant breeding hybrids rice maize private sector fish breeding Where CGIAR breeding programs rely on the private sector for the multiplication and distribution of improved cultivars, persistent challenges have dampened their impact on varietal adoption and turnover rates. Part of the problem is that research and practice in CGIAR and among its national breeding program partners tend to treat the private sector as a vehicle for seed delivery, rather than as commercial businesses facing a range of unique constraints and threats. This paper adopts a value chain framework to examine these relationships and pathways for improved varietal adoption/turnover outcomes in three cases: hybrid maize, farmed fish, and rice. In the first two cases, weak incentives and high risks left seed companies reluctant to invest in the marketing and quality assurance efforts needed to realize near-term impacts at scale from breeding investments. In the third case, seed companies played an insignificant role: grain traders supplied certified seed to smallholders, potentially prioritizing consumers’ quality preferences over climate-resilience and stress-tolerance traits for farmers. The findings raise important questions about the role of CGIAR and national breeding programs; specifically, how these programs can effectively support the private sector to deliver impact at greater scale, how consumer preferences are captured in trait prioritization within breeding programs, and what types of incentive mechanisms can be changed within breeding programs to advance a genuine shift towards ‘demand-oriented’ plant breeding. 2021-11-13 2024-05-22T12:11:09Z 2024-05-22T12:11:09Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142840 en Open Access SAGE Publications Donovan, Jason; Rutsaert, Pieter; Spielman, David J.; Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia; and Demont, Matty. 2021. Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs. Outlook on Agriculture 50(4): 366-377. https://doi.org/10.1177/00307270211059551
spellingShingle value chains
seeds
plant breeding
hybrids
rice
maize
private sector
fish
breeding
Donovan, Jason
Rutsaert, Pieter
Spielman, David J.
Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia
Demont, Matty
Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs
title Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs
title_full Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs
title_fullStr Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs
title_full_unstemmed Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs
title_short Seed value chain development in the Global South: Key issues and new directions for public breeding programs
title_sort seed value chain development in the global south key issues and new directions for public breeding programs
topic value chains
seeds
plant breeding
hybrids
rice
maize
private sector
fish
breeding
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142840
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AT spielmandavidj seedvaluechaindevelopmentintheglobalsouthkeyissuesandnewdirectionsforpublicbreedingprograms
AT shikukukelvinmashisia seedvaluechaindevelopmentintheglobalsouthkeyissuesandnewdirectionsforpublicbreedingprograms
AT demontmatty seedvaluechaindevelopmentintheglobalsouthkeyissuesandnewdirectionsforpublicbreedingprograms