Efficient Legume Seed Systems for Better Smallholder Farmers’ Livelihoods in the Semi-Arid Tropics

Ending in 2020, to the TL Project has been involved in development and release of high-yielding market-preferred improved legume varieties, strengthening legume breeding capacities, and building sustainable and inclusive seed systems. 

The crop improvement programs(NARS (National Agricultural Research Systems) and CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research)) with the support from the project have adopted better approaches for breeding efficiency enhancement and acceleration of genetic gains to varying degrees. This has led to the development and release of 304 varieties with improved production traits such as drought tolerance, pest/disease resistance, resistance to parasitic weeds such as striga, nutrition traits such as high iron content, and have end-user preferred traits such as fast cooking, high oleic acid content and haulm quality.

also to strengthen the capacities of the breeding programs, the projects also trained 52 next generation scientists of whom, 10 were women (Masters degree (34) and PhD degree (18).

To boost legume seed production and delivery to smallholder farmers, a multi-pronged strategy was used, consisting of; (i) building partnerships between different stakegolders along the value chains (ii) training of seed producers, marketers in technology and best practices through participatory varietal selection, on-farm demonstrations and mobile app-based advisories (iii) the use of small seed packs (SSPs), (iv) mobile advisory Apps, and (v) bundling of seed with other inputs and services including seed treatment, bio-fertilizers and microfinance.  

This resulted in significant rise in production, availability and accessibility of various seed grades of newly improved and farmer demanded legume varieties in the target countries. While there were initially less than a million farmers growing improved varieties of the target legumes in the target countries, currently there are at least 22 times as many.

For example, The trend of breeder seed production in 2018 show that newer improved varieties which are less than 10 years are now dominating the market (released from 2008-2017). For instance: Samnut 24, Nieta Tiga, Mnaje 09, Serenut06T, Sarinut 1&2 (Groundnut); Sampea 14, Acar 1, Komcalle (Cowpea); and Narobean 1, Mjano uyole, Awash 2(common bean) these had the highest breeder seed production.

The project also emphasized market-led breeding approaches guided by gender-responsive product profiles. The project collaborated with the Gender-Responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT) project to build the capacities of Crop Improvement Teams for design and analysis of gender yield gap studies. 

This story reports increase in creation awareness activities undertaken, quantity of seed produced, number of partners engaged in seed production, and number of varieties released.

The TL projects supported the production of 397,050 t of quality seed of the legume crops in the target geographies. The certified and QDS seed was planted on about 4.4 million hectares (ha) by more than 22 million smallholder farmers, producing about 4.9 million t of grain worth US$ 2.6 billion. The programs also developed seed roadmaps with forward linkages to grain value chain actors such as off-takers, processors and exporters as well as backward linkages to early generation seed production mainly by public sector actors.

TL Project engaged with important legume value-chain stakeholders to create market incentives through 55 multi-stakeholder platforms. These platforms were used for information exchange and linkages. The producers were trained in basic agronomic knowledge such as land choice, variety selection, planting time, and spacing and also connected to sources of quality inputs and to post farm value chain actors to market their surplus produce.

Introduction of nutrient dense, climate-smart, farmer- and market-preferred varieties have began pulling the private sector in legume value chains. For example, Sampea 15, 16, 17 and 18 released between 2013-2017 has incentivized seed companies such as Maina Seed Ltd to increase seed production from 1.6t to 40 t /year.

Improved groundnut varieties in Nigeria registered an overall adoption rate of 44% by farmers across project intervention areas. Old varieties such as Samnut 1 to Samnut 20 released between the 1960s and early 1990s were replaced by Samnut 21, Samnut 22 and Samnut 23 released in 2000 and promoted by the project as on-the-shelf varieties. These were further replaced by Samnut 24 (2011), Samnut 25 (2013) and Samnut 26 (2013), with Samnut 24 currently accounting for about 25% of groundnut production. Project interventions and associated enabling factors including strategic partnerships led to a significant yield increase and associated income.

A village saving and lending associations in Ghana gave members the chance to save money for groundnut seed production in their respective communities as well as support other households in on-farm activities. This initiative equipped members to be financially independent and strengthened the groundnut seed production system at the community level by enhancing access to credit, quality seed and fertile land.