Innovations in Seed Systems: Lessons from the CCRP-funded project “Sustaining Farmer-Managed Seed Initiatives in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso”

This publication highlights the complexity of issues and actors across the whole of a “seed system.” Throughout the seed value chain, a multitude of opportunities exist for thoughtful funding in research and development to improve the performance of the overall system. The report highlights elements of success in this important West African effort. The project contributed to a significant increase in farmer-managed seed production. It also succeeded in improving farmers’ access to seeds, especially addressing the contextual constraints to variety adoption by offering low-cost, high-opportunity options via minipacks of seeds. Inclusion of women in variety trials led to contextualized knowledge about new varieties, which in turn contributed to the positive impact on productivity, income, and nutrition at project sites. The report also highlights challenges to be addressed in future funding and partnerships to achieve sustainability of the impacts.