Learning objectives
At the end of this session, members of the local seed business shall be able to
understand and appreciate the different seed quality control strategies (internal and external quality assurances;
“We do not have enough land to consolidate for seed production”.
People in this village are unwilling to share their land for others to use for production. Land consolidation or clustering is not an easy thing to undertake amongst farmers with very small land holdings. However, land clustering is still possible to reduce the scattered fields which may make quality monitoring difficult. In northern Uganda, Agency for Food Security Network, (AFOSEN) in Atana-Apac district has identified the logic of land clustering. Request the farmers with higher land holding to invite members whom they feel comfortable with, to use their gardens for seed production. By regulating the number of farmers with higher land holding, clusters can be formed around them. The land owner is motivated by the privilege of being a host farmer/ cluster leader. This was also found to work in another Local Seed Business group AYE MEDO NGECA, in Amwoma sub county Dokolo district.
In Aye Medo Ngeca, one member (host farmer) had more land suitable for seed production. Other members of the LSB had small scattered fields. Scattered fields do not favour processes of quality monitoring in seed production. A section of the host farmer’s land he offered for seed production. He was compensated with another field in another location for food production by the hosted farmers.
Content
External seed quality control strategy
External control is actually only performed to confirm that the seed producer has done his job and to give credibility through a certification class. External quality control service is provided by the National Seed certification Services in Uganda, under Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAAIF). These services are normally paid for by the seed grower; individual grower, groups or association involved in seed production. External certification is generally expensive. Particularly for a seed producer group/associationsas well as individual seed producers. It is better to develop an internal quality control system.
Internal seed quality control strategy
Internal control is meant to indicate times and precise criteria to decide the seed quality level. If seed does not comply with the norms at that times, they are rejected and cannot be sold.
Internal Quality control committee (IQCC)
It is the duty of the IQCC to regularly inspect the seed producer group/association members’ fields..
Participants may or may not form a quality control committee.
The committee should determine at what times/periods in the year it should operate its controls and which aspects require control.
Roles of the IQCC, as developed by LSBs IQCCs from Northern Uganda Determine seed requirements (crop/variety) & land size.
Distribute seed to members.
Register seed production fields —Keep records of all Foundation Seed planted in each production field. (Planting returns.)
Supervise seed production - Follow up the seed production activities of members. Farm stock approval (recording the actual yield compared to earlier projections). Identifying for the group the fields which have not been rouged and have not met the
isolation requirement.
Recommended fields to be rejected for quality seed production. Support the production committee in forming clusters.
To report any abnormal disease and invite technical persons from sub county district, research, ISSD for verification.
Keep a good contact list of resourceful persons in seed quality e.g. sub county NAADs coordinators, Extension works, regional agronomist etc.
Sample of the planting return format: Name of
farmer
District Sub County
Parish Crop Variety Kg of seed planted Acreage Date of planting Expected yield (kg) Okot Ben Gulu Bungatira Latyeng Upland
rice
Nerica 4 30 1 15.8.2013 1,600 Lamunu
Lucy
Gulu Bungatira Latyeng Upland rice
Nerica 4 30 1 17.8.2013 1,600
Internal regulations: a driving force for quality control
Solid regulations help members to produce in a uniform manner to obtain good quality seed. Regulations should be validated in a meeting where all involved members/producers are present and where everybody agrees on common regulations for production and quality control.
For example, in a Local Seed Business group with well-defined regulations, there will be sanctions for members who do not perform the necessary activity at the right time (i.e. planting, giving inputs, weeding) or for those who do not work in conformity with the norms. The group can decide to impose on them a pecuniary fine (for example 10,000 shillings) or other sanction. In addition to the sanction the essential agricultural activities would be entrusted to other, more reliable members to avoid further harmful episodes. Land clustering/consolidation and a quality control strategy
This is one of the means of ensuring that good quality seed is produced by the seed growers. Imagine if three members of the IQCC in LSB group were to supervise 50 gardens of members in 6 parishes, six times per season? This sounds close to impossible. But what can be the solution here? Another situation is if the same three members of the IQCC in LSB group were to inspect 50 gardens clustered in three locations? This sounds very possible because the IQCC members can plan to make 3 visits; one per cluster/location.
Grouping of adjacent agricultural land by producers is another mechanism for seed quality control. Land clustering allows the producers to produce the same crop with the same cultural practices and follow the same quality control procedures as they have the same seed with the same characteristics.
Before starting the consolidation, the first step should be to make the producers sensitive to the importance and advantages of consolidation.
Advantages of consolidation:
Producers who have consolidated their land and produce the same crops can produce seed that is not contaminated.
Land consolidation will facilitate the tasks of monitoring and control for the IQCC and agent responsible of seed inspection and certification.
Land consolidation also generates advantages for marketing of products since it is easier to find common clients.
land clustering for seed production
Training methods
When the participants have gathered, ask them to form three groups by counting 1, 2, 3.
Each group discusses the guiding questions below;
Q: Do you have any experience with a quality control committee IQCC (if not they may form one)?
Q: What does the IQCC do to guide the seed growers in quality control? Q: What is involved in controlling seed Quality?
Q: Which times during the year should the committee operate its controls and what aspects should be controlled?
Q: What are the conditions for a committee to work well?
Q: How do you ascertain the quality of seed you have produced?
Q: What farmers’ strategies do seed growers use to control quality during production?
Q: What are the benefits of clustering land in quality seed production? Are there any disadvantages of this?
Q: How best can farmers achieve land consolidation or clustering to ease quality control measures?
At the end of all these discussions, the facilitator makes a summary of content. Organize a field visit to a nearby farm where members are practicing clustering.
Materials
Flip chart, markers
Templates for planting returns printed
Note for facilitator
It is important to find out if there is any land clustering for seed production which may be visited by the farmers.
In case there is one, make arrangements by writing a letter to seek permission to take the farmers for a training visit
This visit needs to be coordinated at a period of visible plant growth so that the farmers may get a clear impression of the land clustering. Owing to local sensibilities you need to take precaution when talking about land.
Farmer’s discussions should be guided towards the benefits of the local seed business success.
To understand how an internal quality control system works, a visit will be paid to a group/business which uses this system in an efficient way. It is important to be prepared and bring copies of national guidelines with you as well as internal basic protocol for the inspection. One can also use norms of other groups for comparison, or international norms like UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants).