TY  - BK
AU  - Deressa,A.
AU  - Admassu,H.
AU  - Friesen,D.K.|Palmer,A.F.E.
AU  - Nigussie,M.
AU  - Seboka,B.
ED  - Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT) Kenya
ED  - 7. Proceedings of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Maize Conference
TI  - Participatory decentralized secondary improved maize (Zea mays L.) seed multiplication in the central rift valley of Ethiopia
SN  - 970-648-120-6
U1  - 338.16 
PY  - 2002///
CY  - Nairobi (Kenya)
PB  - KARI|CIMMYT
KW  - Dry farming
KW  - Ethiopia
KW  - Maize
KW  - AGROVOC
KW  - Rainwater
KW  - Seed production
KW  - Small farms
KW  - Varieties
KW  - Food security
KW  - Zea mays
KW  - CIMMYT
KW  - KARI
N2  - Despite a far-reaching demand for improved seed of maize varieties by households in the drought-prone farming systems, the formal seed sector has been incapable of providing good quality seed in the required amounts and in a timely manner. In pursuit of narrowing the gap and to improve localized seed availability and to stabilize and increase maize productivity, a pilot scale progressive farmer participatory decentralized secondary seed multiplication scheme was initiated in 1995 in the drier farming Central Rift Valley areas of Ethiopia. During 1995 to 2000, 119 pilot seed growers from five districts produced 41.12 tons of pure maize seed (Katumani and Melkassa-l) on 29.75ha. Pilot growers maintained seeds for the subsequent season cropping cycle, shared and lent seed with neighbours, friends, relatives, exchanged for other grain food crops and sold at higher price proving a farmer-to-farmer exchange method within the localized social networks to be the most efficient in addressing localized pure seed availability and ensuring seed security. Learning from our pilot experience, we strongly recommend the scaling-up of the approach through establishing suitable linkage mechanisms between the localized seed system and the formal seed sector and provision of technical and financial backstopping of the informal sector in order to ensure localized seed security and speed up the strides towards the attainment of family food self-sufficiency and national food security goals
ER  -