The Access to Seeds Index is now part of the World Benchmarking Alliance. All indexes up to 2020 can be found here. New indexes and methodologies are published on the website of the WBA.
Stay here worldbenchmarkingalliance.org
The agriculture sector in Botswana contributes 3% to the country’s GDP. The government certifies and produces seed through its Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) and distributes new varieties through its Seed Multiplication Unit. The DAR is responsible for administering seed certifications through the 1976 Seed Certification Act (CAP 35:07), which is complemented by the country’s Seed Bill.
The government distributes some seed varieties to farmers throughout the country through the DAR to support programs such as the Integrated Support Program for Arable Agricultural Development (ISPAAD), which began in 2008. ISPAAD is one of the main agricultural support schemes to address challenges in the arable sub-sector, such as poor technology adoption by farmers and low agricultural productivity. Farmers receive inputs, including seeds, through this program, which is implemented by the extension services department of the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security.
There are ten index companies with a presence in Botswana, covering both field crops and vegetables, though Klein Karoo Africa and Seed Co are the only two with testing locations. With two technical staff dedicated to training farmers, Seed Co is the sole company carrying out extension services.
There is a complete lack of breeding, seed production and processing among the ten companies. Klein Karoo Africa, Capstone Seeds, Seed Co and Starke Ayres are all headquartered in neighboring South Africa, which suggests that Botswana is solely a distribution channel for those companies.
| Company | Crops in portfolio | Company activities in country | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Companies selected for the Access to Seeds Index |
Field crops |
Vegetables | Breeding location |
Testing location |
Seed production |
Processing location |
Sales | Extension services |
||||||
| Advanta | ||||||||||||||
| Capstone Seeds | ||||||||||||||
| Corteva Agriscience | ||||||||||||||
| Hygrotech | ||||||||||||||
| Klein Karoo Africa | ||||||||||||||
| Sakata | ||||||||||||||
| Seed Co | ||||||||||||||
| Starke Ayres | ||||||||||||||
| Zamseed | ||||||||||||||
Other index companies are also active in the country. However, country-specific information for these companies is not available or was provided under a non-disclosure agreement.
Other companies identified in the regional landscaping study and their activities
| Company | Crops in portfolio | Company activities in country | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field crops |
Vegetable crops |
Breeding location |
Seed production |
Sales | ||||
| Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board | ||||||||
| Feed Seeds | ||||||||
| Gear Force | ||||||||
