Rutsaert Pieter, Donovan Jason, Kimenju Simon
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya.
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Texcoco, Mexico.
Technol Soc. 2021 Aug;66:101630. doi: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101630.
In Eastern and Southern Africa, as the public sector has retreated from maize seed production and the private sector has emerged to fill the resulting void, a key issue for researchers, governments and private donors has been the capacity of privately owned, typically small scale, seed businesses to effectively produce and distribute hybrid seed. Roughly two decades on, research and development programming continues to focus on supply side issues in supporting the maize seed industry to bring new varieties to farmers. Motivated by thinking on agri-food value chains, this article explores the potential for achieving a stronger demand orientation in programming to support the maize seed industry, a requirement for varietal turnover. In 2019 data were collected in Kenya from i) 80 agro-dealers on their relations with seed businesses and their marketing of maize seed, ii) 466 farmers on their seed choice and engagement with agro-dealers and iii) 8 seed companies on their distribution and sales strategies. Results confirmed the overarching supply-push orientation of the industry, characterized by limited innovation and risk taking, weak collaboration between actors, low margins for retailers, and limited investments in seed marketing. Farmers showed weak appetite for acquiring new seed products, preferring instead to purchase seeds that they knew from experience. Better strategies for building seed value chains will require deeper insights on stakeholders needs and strategies, to include the capacity of seed businesses and retailers to innovate in business management and marketing.
在东非和南非，随着公共部门退出玉米种子生产领域，私营部门崛起以填补由此产生的空白，对研究人员、政府和私人捐赠者而言，一个关键问题是私有（通常为小规模）种子企业有效生产和分销杂交种子的能力。大约二十年后，研发项目仍继续聚焦于支持玉米种子产业向农民推广新品种的供应方问题。受农业食品价值链思维的启发，本文探讨了在支持玉米种子产业的项目中实现更强需求导向的潜力，这是品种更新换代的一项要求。2019年，在肯尼亚收集了以下数据：i）80家农资经销商关于他们与种子企业的关系以及玉米种子营销情况的数据；ii）466名农民关于他们的种子选择以及与农资经销商互动情况的数据；iii）8家种子公司关于他们的分销和销售策略的数据。结果证实了该行业总体上以供应推动为主导的倾向，其特点是创新和冒险有限、行为主体之间协作薄弱、零售商利润微薄以及种子营销投资有限。农民对获取新种子产品兴趣不大，而是更愿意购买他们有过使用经验的种子。构建种子价值链的更好策略将需要更深入了解利益相关者的需求和策略，包括种子企业和零售商在业务管理和营销方面进行创新的能力。
