Abstract
The study aims to deepen understanding of how Early Generation Seeds value chain constraints impede commercialization and adoption of High Yielding Varieties (HYV) or improved Maize seeds by smallholders in Ghana within the broader strategies of a “Green Revolution for Africa”. Using qualitative and quantitative information obtained through one-on-one interviews with 15 key informants, a household survey from 110 smallholder farmers and document reviews, we discuss constraints and bottlenecks engendered by value chain structures, processes and mechanisms in Ghana's formal seed distribution system. Seven main challenges were identified that undermine trust and hinder the expansion of HYVs: (1) the limited capacity of public institutions, (2) constrained capacity of the emerging private sector, (3) a lack of well-defined, fair and enforceable contracts between stakeholders in the delivery system, (4) land-tenure limitations, (5) poor forecasting of farmers' demands for seeds by research institutions and seed producers, (6) sparse marketing arrangements for improved maize seeds, and (7) concentration of power to control seed supply in the hands of few institutions. We argue these seven issues weaken power asymmetry within the maize seed value chain's governance mechanism to create nodal points that give prominence to key public institutions, NGOs, and research institutions who control the production and distribution of improved seeds. Ultimately, trust among actors and its value chain outputs is undermined, negatively affecting the commercialization, availability, and adoption of improved seeds. Moving forward, upgrading the maize seed value chain must be pursued through targeted public and private sector relationships that acknowledge diverse actors' critical roles in the value chain.
Highlights
In recent times, farmers’ activities in Sub-Saharan Africa intersect with global trends in the growing demand for food, competition for land, water and energy resources, climate change, dietary changes, and the emergence of new technologies
Following the three objectives of this paper, this results section is organized in the following way: (1) description of the structure of the Maize Value Chain in Ghana, and (2) identification of bottlenecks within the formal maize seed value chain, and (3) description of a case study on maize seed adoption rate in Ejura Sekyeredumase Municipality
The study discusses the Maize High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) delivery value chain in Ghana to show that institutional challenges limit the ability to deliver quality seeds to farmers
Summary
Farmers’ activities in Sub-Saharan Africa intersect with global trends in the growing demand for food, competition for land, water and energy resources, climate change, dietary changes, and the emergence of new technologies (see Stringer et al, 2020). Despite the great potentials touted within the broad vision of smallholder transformation and the deployment of Improved and High Yielding Seed Varieties (IHYSV), or what we refer to as the “African Seed Revolution,” many nations in SubSaharan Africa, including Ghana, are less successful in turning the plethora of long-time efforts into changes for smallholder farm productivity and livelihoods This limitation is due partly to challenges in evolving and emerging seed markets (Langyintuo et al, 2010; Akudugu et al, 2012), which limit availability and use of such seeds, preventing the much anticipated African Green Revolution (Juma, 2015) and sustainably achieving global food security across scale. The article concludes with calls for reforms to diverse action through the process and product upgrading and offers new directions for research
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
