February 26, 2010

Source: AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center: Newsletter

To establish a platform for foundation seed production in West and Central Africa, AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) hosted a week-long training session on vegetable seed production from 15–19 February 2010 at the ICRISAT Sahelian Center in Sadore, about 45 km south of
Niamey, Niger.

In his opening remarks, Farid Waliyar of ICRISAT briefed participants about ICRISAT’s mandates and its strategic partnership with institutes like AVRDC. Sanjeet Kumar, vegetable breeder for the Sudano-Sahelian Region who holds a joint appointment with AVRDC and ICRISAT, said the training course would empower 30 vegetable growers (10 each from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) and three technicians to begin vegetable seed production and establish an effective network between farmers’ organizations in each country.

“Through introduction, reselection, and evaluation, there are now a number of locally adapted and accepted vegetable varieties available for mass dissemination to achieve larger impact,” said Kumar. “We also are working to establish the ceiling limits of area under each of these varieties.”

In this training, efforts concentrated on five varieties: ‘ICRIXina’ (tomato), ‘Safi’ (hot pepper), ‘Konni’ (okra), ‘En Dor’ (melon) and ‘Maya’ (lettuce). Onion also was covered during the training. Issaka Housseini, technical officer with Vegetable Project, presented a full range of theoretical lectures and practical demonstrations to the participants. Trainers and trainees
were urged to interact to exchange ideas, share problems, and find solutions. Trainees also visited lettuce seed producers and other vegetable growers in peri-urban areas of Niamey.

As the week wound to a close, participants discovered they had created their own new network of vegetable growers. Many already are producing seed for their own use and to exchange with others, and other trainees plan to start seed production soon.

Nevertheless, commercialization of locally produced seed has a long way to go in the region. To start the commercialization process, lines of best-bet crops and varieties suitable for seed production should be selected and promoted, along with appropriate seed regulation policies. A seed processing facility in the region—preferably created by local entrepreneurs—would catalyze the commercialization process and help create a competitive market conducive to delivering best quality seeds at affordable prices to smallholder farmers. AVRDC and its
partners will continue to actively promote seed production of locally adapted lines and varieties with high yield, good disease resistance, and drought and heat tolerance.

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics
www.icrisat.org/icriat-wca-leaders-note.htm

Website: https://avrdc.org/

Published: February 26, 2010