Bayer supports access to high-quality vegetable seeds for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia
The "Bridging the Seed Gap" project is a unique and long-term technology transfer process established by Fair Planet in collaboration with leading global vegetable seed companies, national and international stakeholders such as governments, universities and farmers’ unions, and public and private donors. The project gives smallholder farmers facilitated access to seed of high-quality vegetable varieties that are suitable for their needs. At the same time, it supplies training to the farmers on how to use these seeds with minimal changes to their traditional production practices. Trained farmers will have better prospects of growing and selling significant crop yields and will benefit from economic growth.
Bayer will participate at all four project locations through its Vegetable Seeds organization. In addition to Dire Dawa, similar projects are being developed in Harar, Butajira and Gondar. During the 2016 growing seasons, selected varieties from the Nunhems tomato, hot pepper and onion range will be tested in variety and cultivation trials. In 2017, the best-performing varieties from Bayer and the other vegetable seed companies will be cultivated by selected smallholder farmers who will demonstrate the advantages to other farmers in their own villages and regions.
"Access to high-quality vegetable seed varieties and know-how is essential to improve the economic growth of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia," explains Vicente Navarro, Managing Director M&S of Vegetable Seeds. "But this can only be successful with a holistic approach and through collaboration. We believe in the setup that Fair Planet has created. We will leverage local empowerment with our seeds and knowledge."
Adds Dr. Shoshan Haran, Founder and Operations Manager of Fair Planet, "With our project that was established in collaboration with leading vegetable seed companies, we aim to improve the quality of life of smallholder farmers through access to high quality seed and by showing improved cultivation techniques with minimal changes to traditional practices. We are extremely pleased that Bayer is joining our open aid platform, which is a unique phenomenon in the vegetable seed industry. By connecting local authorities, universities, farmers’ unions with smallholder farmers and with the support of global seed companies, we can bridge the seed gap."
For more information:
Bayer
www.bayer.com
Fair Planet
www.fairplanetseeds.com
