HaSSP

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HaSSP
FANRPAN PARTNERS MEETING
Dr. Bellah Mpofu 31 May 2012 Pretoria www.fanrpan
.org
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No food Security without Seed Security

• Only 4 of African smallholder farmers use
  improved seed.
• Global seed market is worth 47 billion.
• Africas share of the global market amounts to
  3.

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CHALLENGE Availability

• Swaziland does not produce its own seed.
• Most of its seed is imported from South Africa.
• Hybrid seed is preferred by seed companies anie
  to market hybrid maize seed because ideally
  farmers must buy this seed every year. Seed
  companies prefer to market hybrid maize seed
  because ideally farmers must buy this seed every
  year. Seed companies prefer to market hybrid
  maize seed because ideally farmers must buy this
  seed every year. eed companies prefer to market
  hybrid maize seed because ideally farmers must
  buy this seed every year. Seed companies prefer
  to market hybrid maize seed because ideally
  farmers must buy this seed every year.

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Farm saved (orphan crops)
pearl millet
sorghum
groundnuts
cowpea
finger-millet
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Challenge Access

• Distance from market

Bean seed crop produced by a small holder farmer
in Zaka, Zimbabwe
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Can Farmers Afford the Seed?
Farmers queue for subsidized inputs in Malawi
Small farm holdings and use of hand hoes
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Challenge Seed Quality

• Fake Seed
• Unscrupulous traders buy grain,
• Colour the grain red or green,
• Package it in new seed bags,
• And sell the seed to unsuspecting farmers.
• This fake seed may not germinate at all.

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HaSSP pilot and prospective countries
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HaSSP Outputs Outcomes

• Domestication and implementation of the SADC
  Harmonised Seed Regulatory System
• Enhanced availability of varieties, more private
  companies investing in the seed sector
  resulting in improved access to seed by farmers.
• Better seed quality- improved facilities and
  skills.
• Reduced seed importation costs as re- testing of
  imported seed will not be necessary.
• A common seed certification scheme, will allow
  more efficient movement of seed in the region
•  
•  

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Key National Institutions Implementing HaSSP

•  

HaSSP Objective Malawi Swaziland Zambia Zimbabwe Regional
1 3 Seed Services Unit Seed Quality and Control Services Seed Certification and Control Institute Seed Services SADC, SPEAR, CIMMYT
2 Plant Protection Commodity Group Plant Protection Unit Zambia Research Institute Plant Quarantine Service  Seed Health Centre
4 5 Seed Services Unit and other key stakeholders along the seed value chain. Seed Quality Control Services and other key stakeholders along the seed value chain. Seed Certification and Control Institute and other key stakeholders along the seed value chain. Seed Services and other key stakeholders along the seed value chain.       DAFF, SANSOR
Community Seed Production Enterprise Association of Smallholder Seed Multiplication Action Group Seed Quality Control Services Seed Certification and Control Institute GRM International CIMMYT, SAMP
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HaSSP Regional Partners

• FANRPAN engaged with
• COMESA through the FANRPAN Board of Governors and
  sharing knowledge with COMRAP
• SADC through CCARDESA in Botswana and the SADC
  Seed Centre in Zambia
• FANRPAN is working closely with the SADC Seed
  Centre which is responsible for setting up the
  regional variety system as well as the SADC
  Common Catalogue.

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Variety Release

• The readiness of pilot countries to release
  varieties regionally has been enhanced by the
  training of
• regulatory authorities,
• variety release committees and
• breeders,
• in Distinctness Uniformity and Stability (DUS)
  and
• Value for Cultivation and Use testing,
• - which are the requirements for regional variety
  release under the SADC protocol.

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Alignment to global trends
1 flint
2 Flint-like
3 intermediate
4 Dent-like
5 dent
CHARACTERISTIC 36 IN UPOV MAIZE TEST GUIDELINES
2009 Ear type of grain QL
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Strengthening Seed Certification

• All four national seed testing laboratories were
  audited
• 15 Seed analysts were trained in seed testing
  techniques
• 4 Vehicles were procured for seed inspection
• Seed testing equipment has been secured in
  partnership with COMESA-EU COMRAP in all 4
  countries

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National Regional Training Workshops
Workshop Date Location Number of females Number of males
Plant Variety Protection 23-24 Nov 2011 Johannesburg, South Africa 9 16
Seed Quality Training 27-29 Mar 2012 Maputo, Mozambique 18 22
International Rules for Seed Testing Amendments 31 Oct-3 Nov 2011 Pretoria, South Africa 6 2
Seed Analysis Methods Techniques 5-8 Mar 2012 Pretoria, South Africa 6 1
Plant Variety Release DUS VCU 7-8 Feb 2012 ART Farm, Zimbabwe 11 35
Plant Variety Release DUS VCU 14-15 Feb 2012 Malkerns, Swaziland 3 19
Total Trained Total Trained Total Trained 53 95
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Seed Analyst Training
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Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE)

• PCE studies were conducted in the pilot
  countries.
• Training of Plant Health Inspectors on conducting
  pest risk analysis (PRA) and is planned for this
  year

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Alignment of National Legislation

• HaSSP is providing technical support to key
  national stakeholders to align national seed
  policies to the SADC protocol.
• Task teams constituted by national partners have
  been commissioned to draft or amend legislation
  (as required).
• Legislative drafts for seed variety release, seed
  certification and quality control quarantine and
  phytosanitary measures from the 4 countries are
  expected to be submitted by 30 September 2012.

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HaSSP Implementation Update
HaSSP Activities Malawi Swaziland Zambia Zimbabwe
SADC Seed Protocol MoU       X
2. National project launch   X  X  X 
3. Common visioning workshop        
4. National planning meetings        
5. Identify national partners seed elders        
6. National Steering committees set up        
7. Baseline studies        
National Task Teams to align policies set up 8.1. Engage national consultants 8.2. Implementation of action plans  
9. Alignment of variety release policies 9.1. Training in DUS VCU 9.2. Plant variety protection training 9.3. Plant variety release training WIP     WIP   WIP     WIP  
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HaSSP Implementation Update
HaSSP Activities Malawi Swaziland Zambia Zimbabwe
10. Alignment of seed certification policies 10.1. Seed quality training 10.2. Int. rules for seed testing WIP      WIP   WIP   WIP  
11. Alignment of phytosanitary policies 11.1. PCE studies WIP   WIP   WIP   WIP  
12. Strengthening of seed certification facilities 12.1. Auditing of seed testing labs 12.2. Vehicles purchased 12.3. Seed testing equipment procured WIP       WIP       WIP     WIP    
Assessment of institutional individual capacity needs capacity strengthening 13.1. Training of smallholder farmers 13.2. ME training 13.2. Seed analysts training 13.4. Seed variety database training                          
Smallholder seed enterprises set up 14.1. Small scale seed processing equipment and seed storage facilities procured.     WIP   
15. ME National MTR X      
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Zambian Smallholder Seed Growers
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Lessons Learnt

• Policy reform processes are different in each
  country hence assistance from legal officers is
  required
• Weak node capacity
• Seed stakeholders who are mainly scientists /
  technologists require training in policy
  processes
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Scaling Up of the Project

• Mozambique and Tanzania will participate in the
  project with effect from 2012.
• Thank You