Reforming seed sector policies for livelihood improvement in Eastern and Southern Africa

Abstract

Many poor and marginalized farmers in eastern and southern Africa depend on maize for their livelihoods. Isolated from main market centers, these smallholder farmers recycle their seed, growing the same low-yielding varieties they have grown for years–varieties that barely yield enough for the farming family to survive. Yet there is hope for improvement: newer and better seed varieties can increase maize yields and withstand harsh conditions, such as drought. The difficulty is in getting the seed from labs and research fields into farmers’ hands.