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The role of seed producer cooperatives (SPCs) in the Ethiopian seed sector and their contribution to seed supply improvement have received attention from researchers, policymakers, and development partners. However, limited work has been done in reviewing and documenting their involvement in the seed sector development. In this paper, we review and discuss the SPCs in the Ethiopian seed sector. Specifically, we reflect on the contribution of SPCs to improving seed availability and access in the country. The current liberal market system of Ethiopia creates new opportunities for growth as successful enterprises, but also brings new challenges, such as more intense competition for smallholder producers. The government policy encourages SPCs to engage in seed business. We draw on scientific literature, reports, white papers, project documents, and websites. The review reveals that the seed sector in Ethiopia consists of three seed systems: formal, informal, and intermediary seed systems. Each seed system has a specific contribution to the delivery of seed to farmers, but they vary in their approach and respective strategies. The SPCs are categorized in the intermediary seed system because they have features of both formal and informal seed systems. They play a key role in meeting seed demand and contribute greatly to seed supply improvement through high-volume production of seed, crop, and variety diversification, and seed delivery to farmers. They produce and market the seed through various market channels, including direct sales to farmers, sales through contractual agreement, and sales directly to institutional buyers. Their contribution to improving the seed supply and seed security has received considerable recognition by policymakers and development practitioners. Therefore, government and development partners should support and strengthen SPCs to maximize their success in the seed business and their contribution to improving the seed supply in Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper presents smallholder farmers' perceptions on attributes of bread wheat varieties based on primary data collected from 524 households in four major wheat growing areas of Ethiopia. The results indicated high value of attainment indices for improved varieties compared to landraces, which shows how the demanded attributes are embodied more in improved ones. Grain yield and yellow and stem rust resistance are attributes that are desired most compared to others. However, there is high variability in attainment indices among improved varieties for the different attributes, which suggests the need to target varieties for the different environments including disease and drought tolerance. The results also showed inconsistency between the value of attainment indices of varieties and the amount of seed supplied by the formal sector, which resulted in mismatch between demand and supply leading to considerable carryover seed. The formal sector needs to consider diversifying its bread wheat varietal portfolio and increase its capacity for seed supply to respond to emerging challenges and effectively address farmers' preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper evaluates the potential impact of adoption of improved legume technologies on rural household welfare measured by consumption expenditure in rural Ethiopia and Tanzania. The study utilizes cross-sectional farm household level data collected in 2008 from a randomly selected sample of 1313 households (700 in Ethiopia and 613 in Tanzania). The causal impact of technology adoption is estimated by utilizing endogenous switching regression. This helps us estimate the true welfare effect of technology adoption by controlling for the role of selection problem on production and adoption decisions. Our analysis reveals that adoption of improved agricultural technologies has a significant positive impact consumption expenditure (in per adult equivalent terms) in rural Ethiopia and Tanzania. This confirms the potential role of technology adoption in improving rural household welfare as higher consumption expenditure from improved technologies translate into lower poverty, higher food security and greater ability to withstand risk. An analysis of the determinants of adoption highlighted inadequate local supply of seed, access to information and perception about the new cultivars as key constraints for technology adoption. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Knowledge and information on farmers' perception and its influence on adoption of modern wheat varieties, awareness and source of new wheat production technology, wheat seed sources, and on-farm seed-management practices remain sporadic in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to understand the functioning of the wheat seed system in four major wheat-growing areas of Ethiopia. A total of 304 wheat growers were interviewed in Arsi, West Shoa, North Shoa, and East Gojam zones. Most wheat growers were aware of modern wheat varieties, agronomic packages, and agrochemical inputs; >90% of farmers had knowledge of these agricultural technologies, the extension system being the major source of information. There is an extensive adoption of new technologies: the majority of farmers grew modern wheat varieties (76% on recommended list and 10% 'obsolete' varieties), and applied fertilizers (97%) and herbicides (64%) to wheat. Although a wide range of modern wheat varieties were adopted, ET 13 (West Shoa, North Shoa, and East Gojam) and Pavon 76 (Arsi) were predominant and each was grown by 20% of the farmers, replacing previously popular varieties, such as Dashen and Enkoy. Farmers identified as many as 26 technological and socioeconomic criteria for adopting and continuously growing a particular wheat variety. However, grain yield, food quality, marketability, grain color, and grain size appeared to be the most important criteria and transcended all zones. Traditional farmer-to-farmer seed exchange played a significant role for lateral diffusion of modern varieties and was a major source of seed for planting wheat crop annually. The informal sector was an initial source of modern wheat varieties for 58% of the farmers, through neighbors or other farmers (36%), relatives (7%), or local trading (15%). Moreover, the majority of farmers sourced their wheat seed informally whereby 79% used retained seed or sourced off-farm from neighbors (9%) and local traders or markets (3%) for planting wheat during the survey year. In contrast, the formal sector was the initial source of wheat varieties for 40% of farmers, but only 8% of the farmers purchased certified seed in the 1997/98 crop season. Farmers' positive perception of seed influenced them to practice different management approaches to maintain the quality of their wheat seed through on-farm selection (67%), cleaning (83%), chemical treatment (4%), separate storage (65%), or informal assessment of seed quality (34%), whereas the responsibility was shared between men and women. The adoption and diffusion of modern bread-wheat varieties and associated technologies appeared to be higher than for other crops, although largely remained informal. It is imperative for the agricultural research to develop farmer-preferred varieties and for the government to strengthen and devise appropriate strategy for seed delivery that is responsive to the needs of the farmers. Within this context, it is important to recognize the role of the formal and informal seed system to create a sustainable seed industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shift from a cereal-based production system to a cereal- khat [Chata edulis (Vahl) Forsk. ex Endl.]-vegetable based system is occurring in the Hararghe region in eastern Ethiopia, a food-deficit region. Several reasons contribute to the food-insecurity that includes high population pressure, fragmentation of holdings, recurrent low-moisture stress, use of crop production technologies that are incompatible with the rainfall regime, weak research-extension-farmer linkage, and an unfavorable market structure. The shift by producers to changing farming circumstances was to improve agricultural performance and their livelihoods. The methodology employed was to produce vegetables, but this strategy is constrained by lack of adequate quality seed. This study was conducted to investigate the seed related constraints to vegetable production, and to suggest alternative approaches to overcome problems. Constraints in vegetable marketing as related to seed supply were assessed and mechanisms that could bring about improvements were also suggested. Inclusion of high value vegetable crops into the smallholder production system brought about an increased integration of the system into a market economy. It also enhanced the system's resilience, but producers are still seed insecure. The vegetable market structure better favors middlemen and traders more than producers. Attempts to provide relief food and emergency seed aid and developmental seed initiatives have been made by different government and non-government organizations. Emergency food and seed handouts, although at times indispensable, fostered a dependency mentality, undermined initiatives and innovation among the smallholder producers, and established a dependence on aid as part of the agricultural system. Developmental seed initiatives, with the potential to support farmers' welfare, were not successful or sustainable for various reasons. It is necessary that alternative methods for seed production and distribution be developed. The elements of failure of earlier community-based seed production programs were analyzed, and a different approach to organizing a sustainable community seed production scheme suggested. A Cooperative Community- Based Seed Enterprise (CCBSE) that blends the strengths of the local and formal seed supply systems, and that considers lessons learned from past attempts was suggested and its relevance demonstrated. It is argued that future seed projects should capitalize on developmental seed initiatives, and must be able to discourage the dependency mentality brought about by repeated emergency seed assistance. If not altered, such emergency seed assistance would also have a negative implication on the development of local CCBSE. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]