Private Contracting versus Community Seed Production Systems: Experiences from Farmer-Led Seed Entreprise Development of African Indigenous Vegetables in Tanzania

Drawing on experiences in Tanzania with amaranth, African nightshade, and African eggplant, this paper provides a preliminary assessment of the viability of seed production under two farmer-led seed enterprise models, namely, contract seed production with seed companies, and the community-led Quality Declared Seed production systems. Both are examined as strategies for economically viable and sustainable distribution and promotion of indigenous vegetable crops.