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Muindi, P.

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Muindi
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Muindi, P.
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Author: Kandiwa, V. ×

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    Women in the maize seed business in East and Southern Africa
    (CIMMYT, 2019) Adam, R.; Sipalla, F.; Muindi, P.; Kandiwa, V.
    The maize seed sector in East and Southern Africa is male-dominated. Most seed companies operating in the region are owned and run by men. Often, access to land and financial capital is a constraint for women who are keen to invest in agriculture. However, there are women working in this sector who are breaking social barriers and helping to improve household food security, nutrition and livelihoods by providing jobs and improved seed varieties to farmers. The gender team within the CIMMYT Socioeconomics Program interviewed some of the women involved in the seed business in this region. Of the nine women we interviewed, only two own over 90% of the business. Most of the women profiled were playing an active leadership role in the business, spearheading key functions and overseeing the day to day operations. A report titled ‘Tanzania Early Generation Seed’ published by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in 2016, indicates that women are poorly represented in ownership and upper level management of seed compa-nies. From the interviews, it emerged that more women are getting involved in their country’s seed trade associations, bringing a different perspective to seed policy conversations. This report foregrounds the contributions of women in the seed business. Even though the profiles are of women in leadership positions, the publication highlights the roles that both men and women play in the seed value chain. Women are involved in land preparation, manual planting, weeding, hand pollination, manual seed sorting and packaging. Men are also involved in the business, often doing more labor-intensive tasks like loading the seed processing machines and moving large volumes of seed. They also work alongside women in land preparation, weeding, cob selection and harvesting, but they are not involved in the detail-oriented and time-consuming task of seed sorting. The seed companies featured in the report shared the unique ways in which they market their stress-tolerant maize seed in a quest to reach smallholder farmers, especially women. These include using a mobile seed store, distributing branded marketing materials like maternity ward bed sheets and khangas (wraps), and working with female lead farmers who double as seed retailers in villages where there are no agro-dealers. The companies also promote their seed in places frequented by women such as markets. The businesswomen also shared the challenges that their companies face. Limited access to finance and seed processing machinery, societal bias towards women in business, inability to attract and retain skilled workers, and delayed payments are the key challenges highlighted by the interviewees. The report also highlights the support that the seed companies have received from CIMMYT. This includes germplasm, technical support and training in seed production from the seed systems and breeding teams, and training in gender and marketing from the socioeconomics team. Some of the companies have also received small grants for the promotion of seed products through demonstration plots and for the construction of a cold room for seed storage. This work was done under the auspices of the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID. The project is building on the success of previous initiatives, Drought Tolerant Maize in Africa (DTMA) and Improved Maize in African Soils (IMAS) that provided interventions to respond to challenges in the African maize seed systems.
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    Gender-responsive approaches for enhancing the adoption of improved maize seed in Africa: a training manual for plant breeders and technicians
    (CIMMYT, 2019) Adam, R.; Kandiwa, V.; David, S.; Muindi, P.
    This training manual, written for maize breeders and technicians, explains the importance of gender in maize breeding in Africa, and provides practical guidelines on aspects of gender-responsive maize breeding. It does not, however, provide in-depth guidelines on gender-responsive breeding. The manual draws on the research carried out by CIMMYT and partners on gender, plant breeding and seed systems. It can be used by maize breeders and technicians to improve their knowledge, or by trainers as part of a broader training program for plant breeders. The first section defines the concept of gender and why it is important for agriculture and plant breeding. The second section provides guidelines for carrying out participatory varietal selection (PVS), an approach used by many maize breeding programs in Africa, in a gender-responsive manner. Section three discusses ways to ensure that gender concerns are addressed in promoting and distributing improved maize seed. Based on the argument that gender-responsive breeding should be part of an overall effort to promote gender-responsive agricultural research, the final section suggests ways to create a gender-responsive organizational culture in agricultural research organizations.
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    Gender-responsive approaches for enhancing the adoption of improved maize seed in Africa: a training manual for agro-dealers
    (CIMMYT, 2019) Adam, R.; Kandiwa, V.; David, S.; Muindi, P.
    This training manual is intended to help agro-dealers in Africa have a better understanding of the importance of gender for their business. It provides practical suggestions for how agro-dealers can address the needs of both women and men farmers to make their business more profitable. The manual can be used by agro-dealers to improve their knowledge, or by trainers as part of a broader training program for agro-dealers. It is based on workshops organized by CIMMYT in 2017 for agro-dealers in several African countries, and also draws on research carried out by CIMMYT and partners on gender, plant breeding and seed systems. The first section of the manual explains what gender means and why it is important for agriculture and agro-dealers in Africa. Section two suggests ways to develop an agro-dealer business that considers the needs of both women and men, while the third section focuses on how to take gender into consideration in promoting an agro-dealer business.
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    Gender-responsive approaches for enhancing the adoption of improved maize seed in Africa: a training manual for seed companies
    (CIMMYT, 2019) Adam, R.; Kandiwa, V.; David, S.; Muindi, P.
    This manual is intended to help seed companies in Africa have a better understanding of the importance of gender for their business. It provides practical suggestions on how gender can be integrated into various aspects of seed business operations to improve their functions. Although the manual focuses on maize, the concepts, guidelines and suggestions apply to other crops. The first section explains what gender means and why it is important for agriculture and seed businesses in Africa. The second section discusses how gender can be integrated in the multiplication, promotion and distribution of improved maize seed. The third section looks beyond operations to explore why and how seed companies can be gender sensitive in the area of human resources.
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    Gender-responsive budgeting tool for the promotion of improved maize seed in Africa
    (CIMMYT, 2018) Adam, R.; Kandiwa, V.; Muindi, P.
    This tool is a decision-making guide for those seed companies who are seeking to make a wider population of farmers aware of the technologies they produce. The idea is to put your money where your potential market lies. The underlying rationale for this tool is that no single approach is able to reach all men and women farmers effectively. Similarly, while some approaches lend themselves well to reaching a wider population, others tend to be more effective in reaching specific demographic groups. This tool should be used alongside the gender-responsive approaches for the promotion of improved maize seed in Africa guide.
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    Gender-responsive approaches for the promotion of improved maize seed in Africa
    (CIMMYT, 2018) Kandiwa, V.; Adam, R.; Lweya, K.B.; Setimela, P.; Badstue, L.B.; Muindi, P.
    Improved maize seed is essential for African farming systems because of its relatively higher yield potential, better adaptation to common biotic and abiotic stresses such as diseases, pests, drought and low nutrients, and more efficient use of water. Some improved maize germplasm such as orange maize is bred for better nutritional content. Adoption of improved maize seed is very important in the smallholder agricultural subsector, where adoption rates for improved maize seed varieties are generally low. For instance, a recent study in five countries estimated the following rates of adoption: 28 percent in Mozambique; 48 percent in Malawi; 56 percent in Tanzania; 58 percent in Ethiopia; and 70 percent in Kenya. These statistics however, do not reveal differences in adoption intensity and adoption rates across space and demographic groups. More importantly, several studies have revealed that women farmers are less likely to use improved seed than men, leading to relatively lower productivity levels. These gender gaps represent real costs to households, seed companies, agro-dealers and society. With widespread support from donors, national governments and research institutions, the seed sector in eastern and southern Africa has rapidly evolved in ways that have greatly altered the landscape of seed delivery to smallholder farmers. As the types and volumes of improved maize seeds increase, several questions arise: How do men and women farmers learn about the performance of these new improved maize varieties compared to those that they presently grow? Which approaches are most effective in reaching different demographic groups? How can one ensure that women get opportunities to learn about and access improved maize varieties?
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