Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador
Across Central America, dozens of locally owned small and medium-scale maize enterprises (maize SMEs) have emerged in the past few decades, which now represent a critical source of hybrid maize seed for small-scale farmers. Typically, these enterprises acquire foundation seed from public breeding pr...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Brief |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
CGIAR System Organization
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178457 |
| _version_ | 1855539838509383680 |
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| author | Peña, Meliza Donovan, Jason Rutsaert, Pieter |
| author_browse | Donovan, Jason Peña, Meliza Rutsaert, Pieter |
| author_facet | Peña, Meliza Donovan, Jason Rutsaert, Pieter |
| author_sort | Peña, Meliza |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Across Central America, dozens of locally owned small and medium-scale maize enterprises (maize SMEs) have emerged in the past few decades, which now represent a critical source of hybrid maize seed for small-scale farmers. Typically, these enterprises acquire foundation seed from public breeding programs, which they then multiply, process, and package, to sell to government agencies and NGOs. The future growth prospects of these maize SMEs depends, in part, on their ability to launch new seed products and diversify their marketing channels to include sales to retailers. This brief explores demand-side opportunities for new maize hybrids in Guatemala and El Salvador. We conducted 27 interviews, including with 10 maize SMEs (six in Guatemala and four in El Salvador), and triangulated the information with national agricultural research and extension systems, international seed companies, and seed retailers. Our study identified the requirements for maize products related to end-use (e.g., green maize1 and silage), processing (e.g., maize for the snack industry and blue maize for restaurants and processors), and production (e.g., shorter maturity cycles). Maize SMEs recognized the potential future shift toward early-maturity products if the tendency for the delayed onset of the rainy season continues. |
| format | Brief |
| id | CGSpace178457 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | CGIAR System Organization |
| publisherStr | CGIAR System Organization |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1784572025-12-09T01:58:28Z Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador Peña, Meliza Donovan, Jason Rutsaert, Pieter maize hybrid market segmentation market demand product design plant breeding Across Central America, dozens of locally owned small and medium-scale maize enterprises (maize SMEs) have emerged in the past few decades, which now represent a critical source of hybrid maize seed for small-scale farmers. Typically, these enterprises acquire foundation seed from public breeding programs, which they then multiply, process, and package, to sell to government agencies and NGOs. The future growth prospects of these maize SMEs depends, in part, on their ability to launch new seed products and diversify their marketing channels to include sales to retailers. This brief explores demand-side opportunities for new maize hybrids in Guatemala and El Salvador. We conducted 27 interviews, including with 10 maize SMEs (six in Guatemala and four in El Salvador), and triangulated the information with national agricultural research and extension systems, international seed companies, and seed retailers. Our study identified the requirements for maize products related to end-use (e.g., green maize1 and silage), processing (e.g., maize for the snack industry and blue maize for restaurants and processors), and production (e.g., shorter maturity cycles). Maize SMEs recognized the potential future shift toward early-maturity products if the tendency for the delayed onset of the rainy season continues. 2025-11 2025-12-02T21:20:19Z 2025-12-02T21:20:19Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178457 en Open Access application/pdf CGIAR System Organization Peña M., Donovan J., and Rutsaert P. 2025. Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador. Market Intelligence Brief Series 32, Montpellier: CGIAR. |
| spellingShingle | maize hybrid market segmentation market demand product design plant breeding Peña, Meliza Donovan, Jason Rutsaert, Pieter Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador |
| title | Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador |
| title_full | Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador |
| title_fullStr | Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador |
| title_full_unstemmed | Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador |
| title_short | Opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products: Insights from Guatemala and El Salvador |
| title_sort | opportunities for innovation in maize hybrid seed products insights from guatemala and el salvador |
| topic | maize hybrid market segmentation market demand product design plant breeding |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178457 |
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