Varietal development and the effectiveness of seed sector policies
Varietal development and the effectiveness of seed sector policies

Author: Takeshima, Hiroyuki

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2016-10-04

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13:

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Seed is an essential input in agriculture, and the availability of quality seed of superior varieties is often critical for improved food security and poverty reduction in developing countries like Nigeria. However, while the Nigerian government recognizes the importance of improving seed availability, its recent focus in the seed sector has mostly been on improving seed quality rather than on varietal development. This report argues that this is partly due to a knowledge gap regarding the relationship between varietal technology levels and the effectiveness of seed sector policies. We first provide a brief conceptual discussion on how the effectiveness of selected seed sector policies, such as certification, subsidies, and private sector promotion, may depend on underlying varietal technology levels. Using rice as an example, we then provide key historical and international perspectives on how varietal technology development by the public sector through intensive rice breeding had pre-ceded the expansion of seed certification and testing, and show that there still is a substantial need for the Nigerian government to develop improved rice varieties through intensified domestic plant breeding in order for its seed certification and seed subsidy programs to be more effective.

Community Seed Banks
Community Seed Banks

Author: Ronnie Vernooy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-05-15

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 1134608608

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Community seed banks first appeared towards the end of the 1980s, established with the support of international and national non-governmental organizations. This book is the first to provide a global review of their development and includes a wide range of case studies. Countries that pioneered various types of community seed banks include Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. In the North, a particular type of community seed bank emerged known as a seed-savers network. Such networks were first established in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA before spreading to other countries. Over time, the number and diversity of seed banks has grown. In Nepal, for example, there are now more than 100 self-described community seed banks whose functions range from pure conservation to commercial seed production. In Brazil, community seed banks operate in various regions of the country. Surprisingly, despite 25 years of history and the rapid growth in number, organizational diversity and geographical coverage of community seed banks, recognition of their roles and contributions has remained scanty. The book reviews their history, evolution, experiences, successes and failures (and reasons why), challenges and prospects. It fills a significant gap in the literature on agricultural biodiversity and conservation, and their contribution to food sovereignty and security.

The Business of Plant Breeding
The Business of Plant Breeding

Author: G. J. Persley

Publisher: Cabi

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781786393814

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This book is the result of a study on demand-led plant variety design for changing markets in Africa, the purpose of which is to identify and share best practices in demand-led plant breeding from private and public sector breeding programmes worldwide. The intended audiences are professionals in plant breeding and related areas, such as seed production, who have interests in developing and disseminating new plant varieties as a way to increase productivity and profitability in crop agriculture, especially in Africa. The volume is also intended for use as a resource book for the education of postgraduate scholars in plant breeding and genetics, and for the continuing professional development of plant breeders. For this purpose, boxes are included in the main sections of each chapter that summarize its educational objectives and present the key messages and questions that are involved; in addition, there is a final box at the end of each chapter that summarizes its overall learning objectives.

Seed Policy and Programmes for Sub-Saharan Africa
Seed Policy and Programmes for Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9789251043233

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One of the major challenges facing most countries in sub-Saharan Africa is the need to invest significant resources into strengthening their capacity to increase the availability of good-quality seeds of a wider range of plant varieties. This publication presents the proceedings of the Regional Technical Meeting on Seed Policy and Programmes for sub-Saharan Africa.

The roles of agroclimatic similarity and returns on scale in the demand for mechanization: Insights from northern Nigeria
The roles of agroclimatic similarity and returns on scale in the demand for mechanization: Insights from northern Nigeria

Author: Takeshima, Hiroyuki

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2018-12-21

Total Pages: 47

ISBN-13:

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Using farm household data from northern Nigeria as well as various spatial agroclimatic data, this study shows that the adoption of key mechanical technologies in Nigerian agriculture (animal traction, tractors, or both) has been high in areas that are more agroclimatically similar to the locations of agricultural research and development (R&D) stations, and this effect is heterogeneous, being particularly strong among relatively larger farms. Furthermore, such effects are likely to have been driven by the rise in returns on scale in the underlying production function caused by the adoption of these mechanical technologies. Agricultural mechanization, represented here as the switch from manual labor to animal traction and tractors, has been not only raising the average return on scale but also potentially magnifying the effects of productivity-enhancing public-sector R&D on spatial variations in agricultural productivity in countries like Nigeria.

Seed Policy and Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean
Seed Policy and Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean

Author:

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 9789251045558

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The meeting recognised the need for the sustainable use of plant genetic resources for sustainable agricultural development of the region. Discussions focused on the appropriate mechanisms required to ensure capacity for the maintenance, production and equitable distribution of good quality seeds from a wide range of plant varieties. The meeting agreed to establish the Seed Consultative Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Easing Barriers to Movement of Plant Varieties for Agricultural Development
Easing Barriers to Movement of Plant Varieties for Agricultural Development

Author: David Gisselquist

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1997-01-01

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 9780821339916

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World Bank Technical Paper No. 364. The trade policies of the countries of the Andean Group--Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela--are in the midst of rapid change, particularly in agriculture, where trade policies are being overhauled and trade rules rewritten on domestic, regional, and global levels. This paper highlights the trade options open to each country by looking at agricultural policy in light of general trade policy. The report also discusses the particular role the Andean Group is playing and how the trade pact may influence the liberalization of agricultural markets.