- 1. The Politics of Seed in Africas Green Revolution John
Thompson and Hannigton Odame Future Agricultures Consortium (FAC)
Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK Centre for African
Bio-Entrepreneurship (CABE), Kenya 15 November 2011
2.
- Future Agricultures Consortium
- Renewed interest in a Green Revolution in Africa
- Political economy of cereal seed systems
- Lessons from country case studies
Focus 3. Future Agricultures
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- Youth & Agri-Food Systems
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- Science, Technology & Innovation
Focus on the politics of agricultural policy processes 4.
- The new Green Revolution agenda includes a key role for
improved seeds and seed systems
- Declining role of state in agriculture
- Collapse of public research/extension systems
- Private sector important, but not sufficient
- Inadequate responses from the international system
- Informal seed systems exist, but are under pressure
Towards an African Green Revolution? 5. Theory of change?
- Market-led technology adoption
- Encourage farmers togrow new varieties of cropsthat reduce
losses and increase stability of yields
- Enhance agricultural productivity throughuse of synthetic
fertilisers and soil management practices
- Build more efficientinput marketsto deliver better seeds,
fertiliser and other inputs to farmers, and theoutput marketsthat
enable farmers to convert surplus production into profits
6. But we must ask...
- Whose interestsdoes this dominant market-led technology
adoption framing serve?
- What politicsare driving this approach in different country
contexts?
- What are the alternative framingsand innovation pathways?
- Andhow are these alternatives supported/constrainedby different
policy processes?
7. Political economy of cereal seed systems
- Hypothesis Contrasting politics and different configurations of
actors and interests will fundamentally influence seed system
dynamics and how a new Green Revolution agenda plays out in
different policy contexts
4 2% 2 2% 1 2% 17%
- Five country studyEthiopia, Ghana,Kenya, Malawi and
Zimbabwe
8. Source: Sperling et al 2008. JDS 9. Planting breeding, PBR,
priority setting Seeds and livelihoods: social-cultural dimensions
Seed aid and relief Economic and institutional policy and
regulation Governance of innovation systems Political economy of
seed production and distribution Politics and policy processes
Politics of national and global agri-food systems 10. Research
questions
- How do seed policies get created, and by whom?
- How do narratives about what makes a good seed policy change
over time?
- How are seed problems and solutions framed in national policy
debates and how does this affect implementation?
- Whose voices are taken into account in the seed policy process
and whose are excluded?
- What policy spaces exist for new ideas, actors and networks and
how can these be opened up?
11.
- Kenya is the poster child for the new Green Revolutionkey
element: a growing network ofagro-dealers
- Butagro-dealers are spread unevenly across the
countryconcentrated in the higher potential areas
- Changing structure of Kenyas seed industry is narrowing the
choice (hybrid maize, GM maize??)leading totechnological lock
in
- Agro-dealership is risky business limited by capital
constraints and government interference
- Need to rethink the agro-dealer modeltake account for
differences in geographic/socio-cultural factors
- Both formal and informal systems should be promotedto assure
supply of appropriate seed to Kenyas farmers
Kenya 12.
- Maize politicsdominates Malawis electoral politics
- Interests of multinational seed companies, donors and the state
converged around theAgricultural Input Subsidy Programme
(AISP)
- The AISP has hadsome success at improving the countrys food
security raised its global profile
- But it has beenexploited as a source of political patronage
limiting access, diversity and affordability of seeds for many
producers
- There isurgent need to strengthen competitiveness of the local
seed industryimproving the regulatory system and revitalising
national breeding programmes
Malawi 13.
- Political turmoil and radical land reform affected Zimbabwes
seed system reduced the supply of quality seeds and undermined
regulatory control
- Collapse of the seed system wasexacerbated by seed relief
programmesimplemented by the government and aid agenciesbypassed
the normal market chain
- In 2010, aid agencies experimented with market-friendly input
subsidy programmes created distortions and became objects of
political manipulation and elite capture
- To strengthen the re-emerging seed system will
requireaddressing overlapping objectives, poor coordination and
weak accountabilityamong key stakeholders
Zimbabwe 14. Key lessons
- Avoid generalised diagnoses and unilinear technocratic
prescriptions to complex seed system problems
- Question the dominant narratives that frame seed policy
problems and solutions
- Enhance high-level political debate over priorities, values and
interests
- Address the 3Dsdirectionality, distribution and diversity in
seed innovation processes
- Foster multiple innovation pathways to sustainable seed systems
negotiate trade-offs and identify synergies
15. Final reflections
- Underlying implication:politics matter
- By engaging critically with seed policy processes, we can begin
to assess how different interests are shaping the politics of seed
in Africas Green Revolution
- A political economy perspective can help shift the focus of the
debate beyond the standard technical/market fix to more plural
innovation pathways and food futures
16. www.future-agricultures.org