Community Based Seed Production (CBSP) is an approach to empower farmers to produce high yielding locally preferred improved maize seed from source seed through community farmers aiming to provide quality seed to buyers and market quality seed, boost local seed markets, open avenues for people to start seed-trading businesses, and offer farmers a ‘basket’ of crop varieties to choose from. Women and farmers from disadvantaged groups are encouraged to participate in CBSP. Required training, small infrastructure, equipment, technical backstopping, and coordination with other agencies are supported.

The CBSP follows the approach of forming a community based farmer group comprising 15- 25 members and registered in the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO). The CBSP group produces improved maize seed of most preferred variety that best suits to the locality. Such variety is identified through participatory varietal selection (PVS) procedures which follows the mother-baby concept of variety evaluation.Ultimate target of CBSP approach in HMRP is to increase the role of private sector in maize seed production and marketing in a sustainable way. The CBSP activities are being implemented in collaboration with government, non-government and private organizations (cooperatives and seed companies) as implementing partners. CBSP program is conducted through trained farmers groups including women and disadvantaged groups. These groups are trained on seed production, field inspection and seed certification or application of truthful labeling (assisted by Regional Seed Testing Laboratories), post-harvest management of seed including germination tests.

Community based seed production has been successfully implemented in all HMRP project districts, ensuring seed self-sufficiency, and increasing seed production from 14 tons via 7 CBSP groups in 2000 to 1,216 tons through 223 groups in 2013. It has been estimated about 1,466  of improved maize seed will be available for sale in 2014.

Seed Sources