How do multi-stakeholder partnerships influence access to quality bean seed and variety turnover? Lessons from Burundi and Zimbabwe

Abstract

Abstract Background Crop breeding is an important pathway for increasing the yield potential and one of the strategies used to adapt smallholder agriculture to climate change in developing countries. Genetic gains, however, go to waste if farmers do not access modern varieties at the right time (before seed deteriorates) and pace. Ensuring fast, prompt, and sustained access to quality bean seed, just like seed of other leguminous crops, has however been a challenge in Sub Saharan Africa. The autogamous nature of the bean crop makes sustaining seed supply and demand hard. This therefore calls for innovative approaches among bean seed value chain actors to deliver quality seed of targeted varieties. One such approach is the use of Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (MSPs). Methods In this study, we assess the impacts of MSPs on seed access, quality of seed, and variety turnover measured as the Area Weighted Age of the Variety (AWAVA). These MSPs were created in Burundi and Zimbabwe to improve the performance of the bean seed system by facilitating access to quality seed. To show the average treatment effect on the treated, the study used the endogenous treatments effects estimator under the control function framework and the change in change and difference in difference framework for Zimbabwe because we had pre and post treatment data. Results Our findings show that the MSP was associated with significant improvement in ranges of 27 -42% more access to seed of improved bean varieties among intervention communities. Also residing in an intervention area was associated with a 65% reduction in distance to bean seed markets. Results further revealed that the MSP approach could be associated with a reduction of the AWAVA of improved varieties grown by 4.4 years among high-intensive intervention groups in Burundi and by 5.2 years for Zimbabwe. Farmers in Burundi were also generally satisfied with production, market and consumption traits of varieties supplied. Conclusions Our results show that using a multi partner-based seed system approach coupled with supply of quality seed of superior varieties, capacity building, and promotion efforts lead to better seed access outcomes at farm level. These findings imply that MSPs can be an effective tool for delivering new varieties of legume crops to farmers, and thus reduce varietal turnover.