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Seed sector stakeholders met in Kaya, in the province of Sanmatenga, in the heart of Burkina Faso's Centre-Nord region. The meeting, which took place on Monday June 10, 2024, was part of the national consultation workshop for players in Burkina Faso's seed system. The event was also part of the "Strengthening networks and institutional capacities in plant improvement for the development of resilient crops meeting the needs of West African farmers, ABEE" project.

The main objective of the meeting was to assess the efficiency of seed production systems, identifying challenges and bottlenecks. Some sixty participants, representing both public and private players, took part in this initiative. 

" The main aims of the meeting were to take stock of the quantities of pre-basic, basic and certified seeds available, to determine needs in terms of quantities, types and categories of seed, to discuss the difficulties encountered when planning seed production, and to propose models for public-private partnerships for seed production in Burkina Faso," says Dr Clarisse Barro, ABEE project focal point.  

Seed, the first factor of production

Seed alone accounts for 40% of yield. It supports agricultural activities, which are the main source of employment and income for around 80% of the population of Burkina Faso. The Burkinabe seed sector is an important lever in agricultural production. Unfortunately, even though efforts are being made on all sides, the seed sector still faces a number of major challenges. These include climate change, as well as inadequate seed production planning, given the difficulties in efficiently assessing annual requirements in terms of type, category and quantity of seed. A situation that seriously compromises agricultural production in our country and even in other Sahelian countries. Action is already being taken in the field. 

" TheInstitut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA) is working to provide seed companies with approved basic seed," says breeder Dr Benoit BATIONO. Basic seeds of approved varieties are acquired by seed cooperatives and associations through INERA. This is what they use to produce certified seed. But the tree must not hide the forest. Much remains to be done.

That's why participants from a wide range of backgrounds worked in plenary sessions and group work to propose solutions to improve the seed system's ability to supply productive varieties that meet farmers' needs, and to ensure the sustainability of the seed production system.

The main difficulties involved in efficient seed production planning, the assessment of needs in terms of varietal types and seed categories (pre-basic, basic and certified), and reflection on models for public/private seed production partnerships in Burkina Faso were among the points discussed during the group work.

The ABEE project, in brief...

The ABEE project aims to implement a more coordinated approach to varietal selection in order to improve and modernize breeding practices on the one hand, and to identify market demands in the implementing countries (Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal) on the other. It is funded by the European Union for a period of five (05) years as part of the Development of Intelligent Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA) initiative.

It is coordinated by CORAF, in partnership with CIRAD and AfricaRice/IBP. It aims to strengthen National Research Systems (NARS) by improving and modernizing breeding practices and better identifying market demands. ABEE will benefit at least 40,000 smallholders in the three target countries, including between 12,000 and 13,000 in Burkina Faso.