ICARDA's Seed-Delivery Approach in Less Favorable Areas Through Village-Based Seed Enterprises: Conceptual and Organizational Issues

This article describes village-based seed enterprises (VBSEs) for less favorable and remote areas where the formal sector (public and private) fails to meet farmers' seed requirements. The review covers national seed sectors and outlines the concepts and organization of a participatory approach to establishing and managing local seed enterprises that would be both technically feasible and economically viable. It also discusses the policy, regulatory, institutional, technical, and organizational support that would be required from stakeholders to ensure successful implementation. The VBSEs can meet small-scale farmers' seed requirements in less favorable and remote areas. They differ from many other community-led seed production schemes previously initiated by developmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations because they emphasize marketing and profitability as strategies for long-term sustainability. We suggest that, in the absence of formal seed supply systems in less favorable and remote areas, governments should encourage the development of small seed enterprises to meet the diverse needs of farmers by providing flexible policy and regulatory frameworks.