Posted on August, 4, 2021 at 08:35 am
Farmers in Kenya’s Rift Valley are currently in a standoff with a local seed manufacturer over what the farmers believe were substandard or fraudulent seeds that cost them their harvest. Earlier this year the farmers reported that they had incurred millions in losses due to crop failures.
Though high-quality agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides can boost agricultural productivity, research shows that access to such inputs remains low in rural African markets. In Kenya, only 77% of hybrid maize seeds sold to farmers germinate — far below the 90% germination rate set by the government for the seeds it has certified.
In a bid to improve access to these much-needed inputs, trusted village startups in Kenya, have started to supply smallholder farmers with quality seeds and fertilizers while regional partners are improving surveillance to weed out fake inputs.
Source: Devex