In the heart of sub-Saharan Africa, where agriculture serves as the lifeblood of many communities, the battle against poverty faces a critical impediment: the availability and quality of improved seeds of food crops. While various interventions, such as humanitarian aid, education, and infrastructure development, play essential roles in addressing poverty, the focus on high-quality seeds is often neglected. Sustained investments in the production and delivery of improved seed varieties to farmers will directly impact farmer productivity and catalyze agricultural transformation and ultimately break the cycle of rural poverty.
The statistics are striking. Approximately 60% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa resides in rural areas where agriculture is the primary means of subsistence. Yet, these areas are also hotspots for poverty, where over 75% of the world’s poorest individuals reside, relying heavily on agriculture for sustenance and income. The official rate of improved seed use in sub-Saharan Africa remains dramatically low, as documented by both the AECF in its evaluation of seed systems and AGRA in its report on the state of agriculture in Africa. This rate is generally below 20% (even 5-10% for staple crops like sorghum and millet), compared to over 90% in developed economies. The high poverty rate and low seed usage by the majority of smallholder farmers is not a chance happening in itself and should raise questions. This situation is primarily explained by the underdevelopment of seed value chains, characterized by insufficient supply, faulty distribution channels, and a lack of farmer information, as well as limited access to formal rural credit.
Traditional and unimproved seed varieties result in low yields, leaving farmers vulnerable to economic instability. As they invest their limited financial resources into such production factors as labour or poor-quality grain used as seeds, subpar harvests lead only to insurmountable and recurrent debt and food insecurity. In other words, poor farmers may have to go from loan to loan when available but are trapped in poverty as long as the harvest is poor. Rural poverty is caused directly by lack of access to high quality seeds.
This cycle threatens not only their survival but also the stability of the broader community.
At the same time, the most accessible input that can break the poverty cycle, improved seed, is either unavailable, unknown to farmers, or out of their physical or financial reach. Access to formal credit to enhance agricultural practices remains a daunting challenge, with just 3% of bank credit in Africa directed towards agriculture. Consequently, many smallholder farmers are forced to rely on informal lending, which only deepens their financial misery and food insecurity.
Seed Systems Group (SSG) is at the forefront of promoting the relatively ‘simple’ solution carried by improved seeds, working with national Ministries and private businesses to disseminate hope-carrying improved seeds to smallholder farmers. Time and again, SSG has witnessed both the enthusiasm of several hundred thousand farmers testing improved seeds by themselves for the first time, and their desire to get more of those seeds to fill their granaries. They know it is life changing. SSG trusts and promotes those seeds because they have been scientifically developed and released by national breeders working in international centers to achieve higher yields, disease resistance, and environmental adaptability. Adopting improved seeds can boost crop yields by 40% to even 150%, depending on the specific crop and environmental conditions. This increase in productivity serves as a steppingstone toward times of plenty at the farm gates and higher incomes for farmers, substantially benefiting national economies as agriculture contributes an average of 17.2% to the GDP in the region.
Initiatives like SSG’s public-private partnership model aim to produce, supply, and make quality-improved seeds accessible to smallholder farmers at affordable prices. By fostering collaboration among public institutions, private enterprises, and local communities, we can enhance the distribution of improved seeds, ensuring that farmers have the necessary tools to transition from subsistence agriculture to a viable agribusiness. Investing in this seed revolution involves not just enhancing the agricultural landscape but also improving the overall economic stability and resilience of rural communities.
SSG ‘s inclusive seed systems development offers a cheap pathway out of poverty for millions of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
