Rural Seed Fairs in Southern Tanzania

Abstract

The low productivity of agricultural crops is among the factors leading to low income and food insecurity for rural people in the Southern Zone of Tanzania. The use of improved seeds is one way of increasing the productivity of agricultural crops. It was realized that the seed supply pipeline from the seed-producing regions in the Southern Zone was not flowing freely partly due to the poor infrastructure prevailing in the zone. In the conventional Transfer of Technology model (TOT), the seed supply pipeline begins with research where breeding work is done and ends with farmers who access a final product of improved seeds/variety. The Multiple Sources of Innovations Model acknowledges the contribution of informal seed systems. Therefore, it is argued by development experts that informal and formal seed/variety development experts can complement each other and improve the supply of seeds of preferred varieties to farmers better than each expert's isolated efforts.