Bringing Seeds to Market: A Study of Partnerships Commercializing Seed Technologies in the Smallholder Farmer Market

Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation provides insights on supporting partnerships that have commercially launched and/or scaled seed technologies for smallholder farmers in developing countries.  

Improved seed varieties can lead to transformative improvements in the productivity, health, and resilience of agricultural land. Smallholder farmers source these varieties from a range of seed systems, such as through regulated outlets for certified seeds or by reusing seeds from their own harvest or those of their neighbors. A deeper understanding of these systems – especially those involving the private sector – and how these systems can effectively and efficiently reach farmers is critical. 

In Bringing Seeds to Market, Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation provides such insights based on the program’s extensive support of partnerships that have commercially launched and/or scaled seed technologies for smallholder farmers in developing countries. These partnerships, funded through the program’s competitively awarded innovation financing, provide context-specific lessons as well as insights applicable across countries and technologies.

The study provides private sector investors with an overview of successful business models and a set of recommendations, based on actual challenges encountered, for achieving commercial objectives. International development practitioners gain knowledge of the key factors to consider in designing and managing initiatives that facilitate seed technology commercialization.

The full study can be accessed through the link below.