The Access to Seeds Index was used as input for AGRA’s annual Africa Agriculture Status Report, in a chapter bij Joe DeVries on ‘Development of Small and Medium-Sized Seed Companies in Africa’:
The evidence for improved seed being a major catalyst in increasing farmer productivity in Africa is strong. Firstly, there is the strong precedent for the role of seed in modernizing agriculture. Throughout history and around the world, sustained increases in agricultural productivity and rural economic growth have been catalyzed by the introduction and broad adoption of seed of improved, locally-adapted crop varieties which make more efficient use of sunlight, water, and soil nutrients, resist pests and diseases, and ma- ture more quickly (Pingali, 2012). Secondly, there is the intense interest being expressed by Africa’s farmers in new, higher-yielding, earlier-maturing varieties—and being willing to pay for the seed. Increasing farmer demand for improved seed has contributed to the emergence of a growing number of private seed companies, which have increased the supply of certified seed in several countries (Access to Seeds Foundation, 2019).
