Community of Practice

Funded by DGIS via IGG FNS program
Focus: Burundi, agricultural inputs and cross-crop
Implemented by IFDC and KIT
Timeline: 01-12-2018 until 30-06-2023 Budget: €7.760.000

The key objective of PSSD is to assure the availability and use of high-quality seed by the establishment of a commercially viable and self-governing seed sector, supported by client-oriented seed services. PSSD works on maize, beans, potato, cassava, and vegetables. The project activities aim to realise four results: (1) establish international (Dutch) private seed business, (2) scale up a national private seed business, (3) create a conducive environment and client-oriented services for small, medium, and large seed enterprises, and (4) mainstream an intensive market-oriented production process using commercial high-quality seed.

Funded by DGIS - EKN NIA
Focus: Niger and Mali, agricultural inputs and cross-crop
Implemented by IFDC, ICRISAT, Sasakawa and KIT
Timeline: 15-12-2020 until 30-10-2024
Budget: €11.000.000

The project ‘Integrated Seed Sector Development’ (ISSD) Sahel focuses on the availability and use of quality seeds through the establishment of a commercially viable and self-sustaining seed sector. The overall goal of ISSD Sahel is to strengthen nutrition security of 180,000 households and rural livelihoods. The project focuses on early generation seed supply, production of quality seed, marketing and promotion, enabling environment and integration of the seed sector. Project activities are implemented in four areas: development of new commercial seed producers, professionalisation of local seed traders, mobilisation of Dutch and international private seed sector expertise for the seed sector in the countries, and large-scale promotion of quality seeds. The focus is on priority crops including cereals (pearl millet, sorghum, maize and rice), legumes (cowpea and groundnut) and vegetables (onions, cabbage, eggplant, tomato and okra).

Funded by EU and DGIS
Focus: Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali, agricultural inputs, climate-smart agriculture, post-harvest and vegetables
Implemented by World Vegetable Center, CIRAD, Wageningen University, INERA, Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin and IER
Timeline: 01-11-2020 until 31-10-2025
Budget: €11.070.000

SAFEVEG promotes ssustainable and climate-smart agricultural and post-harvest practices to increase vegetable consumption in urban and peri-urban areas. SAFEVEG will (1) test innovative interventions to make vegetables more accessible, affordable and acceptable improving diets of West-African consumers, (2) develop, test and scale technologies realising adoption of sustainable, climate-smart practices amongst producers, (3) scale up available varieties with good performance and test new varieties increasing adoption of improved vegetable seed, (4) set up networks of market gardeners to link producers and consumers and reduce post-harvest losses and (5) generate data on the vegetable sector and evidence of the impact of vegetable interventions.

Co-funded by RVO via SDGP facility
Focus: Nigeria, agricultural inputs, food crop production and vegetables
Implemented by Solidaridad, FMARD, Ahmadu Bello University, East-West Seed, and Wageningen Plant Research
Timeline: 01-07-2019 until 30-06-2024
Budget: €2.055.702

The project aims to achieve a significant productivity increase of the domestic vegetable sector by disseminating knowledge and introducing new varieties in rural Nigeria (Kano and Kaduna States). The resulting increase in knowledge regarding agricultural practices will enable farmers to take advantage of improved seed varieties as well as to better align their production towards the rapidly changing demands of their markets. In addition, it will also benefit the local markets and the dietary balance of rural households.

Co-funded by LNV via TopSector Agri-food
Focus: cross-country, plant breeding and gene banks
Implemented by Wageningen University & Research
Timeline: 20-01-2020 until 31-12-2024
Budget: €227.000

The new EU research project AGENT (‘Activated GEnebank NeTwork’) aims to unlock the full potential of the biological material stored in gene banks around the globe by introducing a new international standard and an open digital infrastructure for the management of plant genetic resources. Targeting a better integration of existing genetic material into modern breeding programmes, the project will make an important contribution to global food security and the adaption of staple food crops to changing climatic conditions worldwide. The AGENT project’s objectives will be exemplified using barley and wheat, but the generated data management processes could be applied to other crop collections in the future. Over the next five years, the 19 project partners will receive EUR 7 million funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 framework programme. Wageningen University & Research is one of the project partners.

Funded by RVO via SDGP facility
Focus: Rwanda, agricultural inputs, practices and value chain development
Implemented by Delphy, MoneyPhone, Hollanda Fairfoods, Seed Potato Fund and Agriterra
Timeline: 01-07-2019 until 30-09-2023
Budget: €2,500,000

This project’s goal is to create a well-connected and efficient seed and ware potato value chain in Rwanda’s Great Lakes Region. In order to reduce efficiencies, lack of coordination and the weak linkage between the seed and ware potato value chain farmers will be provided with improved agricultural practices, climate change adaptation and business development skills. In addition, investments will be made through the seed and potato value chain, such as storage, logistics, energy and access to finance. As a result, 20,000 potato farmers will increase their productivity by using clean seeds. Furthermore, the project will provide training, access to finance and create market opportunities by further developing the processing capacity.

Funded by DGIS via EKN JBA
Focus: South-Sudan, agricultural inputs, value chain, sector development and cross-crop
Implemented by IFDC
Timeline: 30-11-2020 until 30-06-2026
Budget: €8.500.000

A3-SEED aims to provide market-oriented interventions to move from humanitarian support to a commercial, sustainable, and adaptive agriculture sector. The project aims to move the seed sector from humanitarian support to a commercial, sustainable, and adaptive agriculture sector. It ensures the availability of improved seed down to the last mile through agri-entrepreneurship and support of existing private-sector seed companies. The project improves seed and input marketing, distribution, and production practices. Additionally, A3-SEED supports the emergence of individual commercial seed producers that produce for the local market and/or are outgrowers for a seed company.

Funded by DGIS via IGG - FNS
Focus: South-Sudan, agricultural inputs, value chain and sector development and cross-crop
Implemented by FAO and Wageningen University & Research
Timeline: 01-10-2020 until 30-09-2023
Budget: $6.400.000

FNS-REPRO addresses the cause effect relationship between conflict and food insecurity in Sudan, Somalia, and South Sudan. It is the FAO’s first programme in Eastern Africa specifically designed to foster peace and food security at scale. The programme will employ a livelihood and resilience based approach in some of the least stable regions, where interventions are normally exclusively of a humanitarian nature. In South Sudan, the seed sector has been selected as the FNS-REPRO entry point, because shortages of quality seeds and planting materials necessary to enable farmers to produce sufficient food for their families and a surplus for sale have been a constraint for many generations.