Abstract
ABSTRACTFormal seed systems aim to provide farmers with high-quality planting material that meets evolving demands and cultivation challenges. East African banana (Musa sp.) systems rely strongly on informal seed exchange. For seed system interventions to have a larger and more sustainable impact in such a context, it is necessary to better understand the informal seed system. We studied the management and replacement dynamics around banana suckers and mats by smallholder farmers in Central Uganda. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussions (n = 4) and semi-structured interviews (n = 23). This study showed that, on average, banana farmers grew 10 different banana cultivars to ensure year-round harvesting and to accommodate multiple consumption and cultural needs. They included cultivars from the formal seed system within their portfolios of banana cultivars while also conserving cultivar diversity. Farmers used a broad array of evaluation criteria to select suckers and preferred to use known sources to assure plant quality. Household characteristics, such as age or wealth, are determinants of mat management and replacement. We concluded that a flexible blend of formal-informal approaches to developing the banana seed system is needed to meet the multiple needs of farm households and to support them in improving productivity and dealing with emerging challenges.
Highlights
The word agriculture combines two connected elements, “agri” and “culture”, indicating that food production forms an integral part of the culture of those who grow the crops and manage the land (Pretty 2002)
To provide smallholder farmers with high-quality seed, governments, Non-governmental organizations (NGO) and other organizations concerned with agricultural development, engage in ’seed-system interventions’
This lack of access to formal seed supplies is partly attributed to a poor understanding of the dynamics of the seed systems on which farmers rely for their seed sourcing (e.g., Almekinders, Louwaars, and de Bruijn 1994)
Summary
The word agriculture combines two connected elements, “agri” and “culture”, indicating that food production forms an integral part of the culture of those who grow the crops and manage the land (Pretty 2002). To provide smallholder farmers with high-quality seed, governments, Non-governmental organizations (NGO) and other organizations concerned with agricultural development, engage in ’seed-system interventions’. These interventions are usually based on strengthening “formal” seed-supply systems, characterized by specialized organizations dealing with breeding and distribution of tested and approved varieties, applying strict quality controls (Almekinders, Louwaars, and de Bruijn 1994). Farmers in developing countries often have limited access to seed from formal seed-supply systems, which inhibits the adoption of new seed with the potential to out-perform the materials they have in their fields (Indimuli 2013; Almekinders et al 2019). The first step in such integration is to understand farmers’ motives and practices related to the sourcing and production of seed
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