eprintid: 9211
rev_number: 10
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1305
dir: disk0/00/00/92/11
datestamp: 2015-12-31 08:09:13
lastmod: 2017-08-30 10:23:56
status_changed: 2015-12-31 08:09:13
type: conference_item
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Webster, T
creators_name: Atokple, I
creators_name: Etwire, P
creators_name: Alhessan, D
creators_name: Carberry, P S
icrisatcreators_name: Carberry, P S
affiliation: CSIRO Agriculture Flagship (Queensland)
affiliation: Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, CSIR (Ghana)
affiliation: ICRISAT (Patancheru)
country: Australia
country: Ghana
country: India
title: Expanding supply of improved seed to farmers in northern Ghana to increase food security
ispublished: pub
subjects: s2.4
full_text_status: public
pres_type: paper
keywords: Ghana, Food Security, Food Supply, Africa, Seeds
note: Theme of this paper : Market Driven Solutions
abstract: The global problem of food security is particularly acute in many parts of west Africa, where food
production needs to increase to meet growing demand. The ‘Green Revolution', where improved
crop varieties are matched with improved management practices (particularly fertilisers), has
been very successful in increasing food production in many parts of the world. However, in much
of west Africa farmers have not adopted improved crop varieties. There are many reasons behind
this lack of implementation, such as access to finance, access to improved varieties, access to
market and government policy constraints. One major roadblock to adoption of improved
varieties identified in Savelugu, northern Ghana, was a lack of sufficient improved cowpea seed
(an important cash crop). In northern Ghana there are very few certified seed producers, mainly
due to the highly regulated certification process. More than 90% of seed is traded between
farmers in an ‘informal' seed market. In trials conducted in the Savelugu region improved,
certified, cowpea varieties consistently outperformed farmer varieties and at field days farmers
showed a strong preference for improved varieties.In the Savelugu region we worked with an
Innovation Platform on a pilot system where one seed producer contracted ‘out‐growers' to
produce certified seed, while the seed producer performed the certification processes and
provide the required inputs and technical support. These out‐growers were situated in villages
around Savelugu, where they were able to use the informal supply chain to deliver 20 additional
tonnes of certified seed to farmers in the first year of operation.
date: 2015-11
date_type: published
pagerange: 125-126
event_title: Tropical Agriculture Conference 2015: Meeting the Productivity Challenge in the Tropics
event_location: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Australia
event_dates: November 16 - 18, 2015
event_type: conference
refereed: TRUE
official_url: http://tropagconference.com.au/program.html
related_url_url: https://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?as_q=Expanding+supply+of+improved+seed+to+farmers+in+northern+Ghana+to+increase+food+security&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_occt=title&as_sauthors=&as_publication=&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5
related_url_type: pub
citation:   Webster, T and Atokple, I and Etwire, P and Alhessan, D and Carberry, P S  (2015) Expanding supply of improved seed to farmers in northern Ghana to increase food security.  In: Tropical Agriculture Conference 2015: Meeting the Productivity Challenge in the Tropics, November 16 - 18, 2015, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Australia.     
document_url: http://oar.icrisat.org/9211/1/TropAg2015-125-126.pdf