Seed Innovations Adoption Processes in Ethiopia

As fertile land and water, the use of improved varieties is necessary for agricultural development. With that, access to innovative varieties determines the upper limit of yield potential. This implies that despite a very minor cost of production on seeds compared to investment on other inputs such as fertilizer, land, and labor; the return on investment will outperform that of any other input when a variety potential is fully exploited. Most importantly, improving farmers access to proven and certified varieties in dryland or vulnerable locations is a major cost-effective strategy to improve farm productivity and food security. Public seed organizations dominate the entire seed value chain in Ethiopia from breeding to seed distribution. Existing variety development practices are performed mainly to meet yield superiority and hence genetically uniform varieties were released for wider dissemination irrespective of farmers varying demands for breeding outputs. Developing vibrant seed sector is highly crucial than ever before to provide innovative varieties characterized by climate-smart, nutritionally enriched, higher- yielding. In order to ensure compatibility with the diverse agricultural systems, bottom-up planning to involve farmers so as to set breeding priorities is highly vital. Then, breeding programs would produce resilient and productive cultivars well-adapted to the multiplicity of agro-systems. A robust seed supply system helps to achieve several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ethiopia in reducing the share of people living under poverty, efforts to adapt adverse effects of climate change, and protect biodiversity.