Successive agricultural transformations staged around the world in past decades stand as remarkable success stories where science conquered hunger, bringing dramatic improvements in agricultural productivity throughout the Americas, Asia, and parts of Africa. The mid-20th century period of agricultural transformation, commonly referred to as the “Green Revolution” significantly changed global food supply systems, with higher yielding crop varieties at its core.
Achieving dramatic increases in farmer productivity on a large scale requires changes in several factors of the food system, including improved crop management practices, more efficient marketing and processing of grains, and vigorous interventions on farmer awareness. But the central element and key catalyst for all these changes has been the adoption by farmers of seed of higher-yielding crop varieties, including hybrid varieties of maize, sorghum, millet, and vegetables developed through plant breeding.
These new varieties provide enhanced drought resistance, tolerance to pests and diseases, impressive yield increases and food security to the farmers who adopt them. In the United States, hybrid maize adoption in the 1930s rapidly doubled production, fueled economic growth and positioned the US as an agricultural leader. More recently in African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia, farmer adoption of hybrid maize seed has improved yields, alleviating hunger and invigorating rural economies.
The impact of these interventions has been real: significant reductions in child malnutrition have been recorded in these countries. In Kenya, child stunting decreased from 35% in 2009 to 18% by 2022 ; In Malawi, child malnutrition declined from 42% in 2014 to 35% in 2020 ; in Ethiopia, it was reduced from 44% in 2011 to 37% in 2019 (UNICEF; 2023).
Seed Systems Group (SSG), in partnership with CGIAR centers and FIPS-Africa, is now working closely with national agricultural research institutes and private, local seed companies to advance the adoption of higher-yielding, climate-resilient hybrid crops in countries across Africa that were left behind in this initial wave of progress. As a result, hybrid maize seed production has been established in seven new African countries, including Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea, Madagascar, Somalia, South Sudan, and Togo.
However, the broader West and Central African Region of Africa continues to face chronic food insecurity, vulnerability to climate change, and social unrest. Despite the region’s agricultural potential, the benefits of improved seed have remained largely unrealized. According to the FAO, average maize yields in West Africa are just 1.8 MT/ha – significantly lower than Eastern Africa (3.2 MT/ha), Southern Africa (5.7 MT/ha), Asia (5.9 MT/ha), and North America (11 MT/ha).
Only a few countries in West Africa – namely Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria – have adopted hybrids to enhance yields of staple grain crops. In these countries as well, child malnutrition rates have been reduced significantly from 2005 to 2025, with child malnutrition Burkina Faso dropping from 41.7% to 19.8%, in Ghana from 32.7% to 17.0%, and Nigeria reducing from 42.4% in 2003 to 36.8% in 2018 (Global Data Lab ; UNICEF ; PMC).
The challenge in West and Central Africa is not just technological. Problems in this region include under-funded and inadequate agriculture research infrastructure, erratic rains, and low farmer awareness of the benefits of improved seed. High seed prices and limited distribution networks are often cited as reasons limiting hybrid adoption, pushing many groups to promote more ‘affordable’ open-pollinated varieties.
Effectively scaling hybrid adoption in West and Central Africa requires a multi-faceted strategy: investment in region-specific research, reliable irrigation systems and efficient seed supply chains, along with the development of supportive policies that enhance smallholder farmers awareness and access to improved seed. Additionally, public education campaigns that build trust in science-based agriculture by explaining the benefits and safety of hybrids is essential.
With the support of several donors SSG is making significant in-roads to developing seed systems among unreached farmers of West Africa. We currently operate seed systems development initiatives in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, and expect to see similar results in these countries if this work is allowed to continue. Onward !
