1 research outputs found
Supply Chains in SubāSaharan Africa: A Decision Support System for SmallāScale Seed Entrepreneurs
It is necessary to infuse a consistent supply of improved seed varieties into local subāSaharan African crop production to improve low crop yields. The best distribution channel for the improved seed varieties may be smallāscale commercial seed companies, but local entrepreneurs struggle to determine whether such businesses are viable. Using a multiāechelon supply chain approach, a decision support system (DSS) was designed to help African seed entrepreneurs make informed decisions about smallāscale seed chain businesses. Specifically, entrepreneurs make decisions about where to locate seed enterprises, with which farmers to contract, and where to store seed. Optimization and simulation modeling are used to evaluate infrastructure variables such as distance, transportation cost, and storage loss and cost in three development level areas. Currently, the decision tool is used in Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, and Tanzania. The model has supported the startāup of at least 17 small seed companies that are now introducing improved seed varieties into villages and farms. The DSS applies decision science research in a humanitarian application and offers important managerial implications about supply chain infrastructure to nongovernmental organizations and humanitarian groups. Such applications are vital as groups such as USAID, the Gates Foundation, and the International Crops Research Institute for the SemiāArid Tropics (ICRISAT) continue to move toward microāenterprise, value chain, and marketāoriented development programs