National Seed Road Map for Nigeria : Document submitted to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Abuja, in conclusion of a seed sector review in Nigeria (September 2019 – February 2020)

The National Seed Road Map is the result of a consultative process in which critical stakeholders of the seed sector in Nigeria participated. The policy context for this process is an agreement between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) of the Government of Nigeria and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in Abuja to jointly engage in a seed sector review, exploring ways to collaborate in the development of Nigeria’s seed sector. One of the steps in this review was the development of a multi-year seed sector development strategy or National Seed Road Map. A team of consultants has been contracted by the EKN through the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The team included members of Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI), Sahel Consulting, National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), East-West Seed (Company and Knowledge Transfer Foundation) and EKN

Farmers, seeds and varieties : supporting informal seed supply in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is characterized by an enormous diversity in agro-ecosystems, crops and varieties, with the informal seed systems dominant in seed supply for almost all crops. The book addresses strategies and approaches through which professionals can support informal seed supply, and links these with the conservation and use of the huge genetic resource base of crops and local varieties. The book looks at informal seed supply from a number of different angles, introduces key concepts and strategies, and presents case studies from Ethiopia and other countries. It deals with the technical aspects of, quality and availability of, and access to seed, and of supporting informal supply. It also deals with the role of farmers in the conservation and management of local crops and varieties, and the participation of farmers and communities in plant breeding and research. It takes a particular interest in the role of farmer organizations in seed supply, and how this role can be strengthened by developing community and small-scale seed enterprises. The aim of all the strategies, case studies and reflections on experiences presented in this book is to improve the availability of and access to quality seeds and varieties, thereby improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Ethiopia and beyond

Ondernemerschap voor duurzame zaaizaadsector

Het Centre for Development Innovation (CDI), onderdeel van Wageningen UR, doet in samen met het Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen en internationale partners in acht Afrikaanse landen vergelijkend onderzoek over de ontwikkeling van ondernemerschap in de zaaizaadsector

Programme on Integrated Seed Sector Development in Ethiopia : 2015 Annual report

The programme on Integrated Seed Sector Development in Ethiopia aims to strengthen the development of a vibrant, market-oriented and pluralistic seed sector in the country, where quality seed of superior varieties is available and affordable for a larger number of farmers, thereby contributing to food security and economic development in Ethiopia. The programme is a joint effort of Bahir Dar University, Haramaya University, Hawassa University, Mekelle University, Oromia Seed Enterprise, the Ethiopian Seed Association and Centre for Development Innovation of Wageningen UR. Partners include governmental organizations at federal, regional and local level, non-governmental organizations, development organizations, and seed businesses operating at different scales. The programme is funded by the Directorate General for International Cooperation through the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Addis Ababa

How Flexible Should Bus Service Be? Frequent Networks As a Tool For Permanent Change

Buses are often hailed for their "flexibility" as a transport mode, compared to rail-based technologies. Many cities, though, need certainty about where high-quality services will be in the long term, so that they can guide both land use and road design in harmony with them. Bus Rapid Transit is an obvious example of "bus service made permanent." The infrastructure of BRT represents a fixed government investment in service in a certain place, which in turn provides the certainty that other city actors need as they decide how to grow the city, and whether they can rely on the permanence of the service as they do so. This paper asks: Can we seek similar permanence for frequent local-stop bus lines? A generation of North American land use planners and urbanists has decided that when it comes to local-stop services, trams matter and buses do not. But people make location decisions based on the mobility offered by public transport, so there is at least theoretical reason to believe that we would get better long-term patronage (and urbanist) outcomes if we fixed our best local bus services far in advance. The paper reviews current practice in “Frequent Network” strategies and branding to this end.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Ferramentas participativas no trabalho com cultivos, variedades e sementes. Um guia para profissionais que trabalham com abordagens participativas no manejo da agrobiodiversidade, no melhoramento de cultivos e no desenvolvimento do setor de sementes

Sumário Nos nossos programas de treinamento sobre manejo local da agrobiodiversidade, melhoramento participativo de cultivos e apoio às fontes locais de semente, as ferramentas participativas ganham uma ampla atenção. Ferramentas são trabalhadas na teoria, são praticadas em situações em sala de aula, mas também são aplicadas em estudos a campo. Os objetivos da prática de ferramentas participativas no treinamento em manejo da agrobiodiversidade local relacionados aos objetivos deste guia são muitos. Entretanto, o presente livro-guia tem como objetivo-chave prover aos profissionais que trabalham no manejo de recursos genéticos, no melhoramento de cultivos e no contexto do desenvolvimento do setor de sementes, um conjunto diversificado de ferramentas desenvolvidas para o aprendizado e ação participativos que sejam adaptadas aos seus contextos específicos. Além desse objetivo principal, procuramos intensificar a criatividade e a flexibilidade desses profissionais no trabalho com grupos orientados de aprendizado e ação participativos, no diagnóstico, no planejamento e implementação de pesquisas, e no monitoramento e avaliação de projetos de agrobiodiversidade, de melhoramento de plantas e de sementes. Utilizamos o livro estruturado por Frans Geilfus1, o qual abrange 80 ferramentas para o desenvolvimento participativo, como uma importante base para esse guia de ferramentas. Uma seleção de ferramentas de Geilfus e de outros foram adaptadas em uma série de instrumentos participativos que podem dar apoio ao manejo da agrobiodiversidade, ao melhoramento de cultivos e ao desenvolvimento do setor de sementes. A estrutura deriva, basicamente, desse livro. Os exemplos e a seleção das ferramentas foram inspirados em experiências reais durante os cursos sobre melhoramento participativo de cultivos, sobre o desenvolvimento do setor de sementes, e manejo local da agrobiodiversidade, como organizado pela Wageningen International nos últimos 10 anos. Algumas outras ferramentas derivaram de outras fontes. As ferramentas foram testadas em projetos locais, por exemplo, no Brasil, Colômbia, Peru, Equador, Gana, Nigéria, Etiópia, Nepal, Índia e Irã. O guia foi desenhado de tal forma que é fácil de ser usado como uma referência no campo. A seqüência das ferramentas é similar àquela freqüentemente usada em análises participativas: inicia com ferramentas gerais, apresenta depois ferramentas mais detalhadas em tópicos específicos e culmina com ferramentas mais analíticas, que podem ser aplicadas às comunidades, mas que também podem auxiliar a equipe facilitadora na análise (depois do diagnóstico) das informações colhidas. Entretanto, quais ferramentas aplicar, que tipo (mapa, matriz ou qualquer outro), com quem, em que seqüência, depende muito do contexto e do objetivo do exercício. Por favor, não considerem este como um livro de receitas, mas sim como um conjunto de ferramentas que você pode utilizar. Consideramos o guia como uma inspiração para encorajar você a adaptar, compor e, desse modo, projetar suas próprias ferramentas

Progress Report Integrated Seed Sector Development Myanmar: 2019

This report can also be downloaded from : http://www.d-portal.org

Local Seed Business in the Context of Integrated Seed Sector Development

Quality seed is a key input for agriculture, with a direct impact on agricultural production and productivity. Integrated seed sector development (ISSD) is an inclusive approach that recognizes and builds upon a diversity of seed systems in the sector. We use the ISSD approach to guide us in the design and implementation of seed sector interventions that are complementary to farmers’practices, with the main aim of increasing farmers’ access to quality seed of superior varieties. In working with the ISSD approach, we recognize a number of guiding principles. In this paper, we describe these principles, and provide examples of how we work with the system of local seed business (LSB) in the ISSD programs in Ethiopia and Uganda. We recognize that LSBs offer an important service to communities by providing access to quality seed of crops and varieties that cannot be obtained reliably through other sources. The guiding principles help us to work towards the development of sustainable LSBs. Within the context of ISSD Africa we will continue to investigate and design interventions to address challenges in seed sector development, focusing on aselect number of themes that are relevant to the LSB context