Overview
The Seeds of Development Program (SODP), an innovative initiative designed to improve access to appropriate and affordable seeds for low-income smallholder farmers through business development services (BDS) training for small to medium-sized local seed companies in East and Southern Africa.
Recognizing the importance of business networks as innovative institutions to enhance the competitiveness of agribusinesses, MM Inc. has set up and coordinated the network “Seeds of Development Program” (SODP) that has facilitated business-to-business relationships among privately-owned African seed companies. As a result of their membership in the program, these emerging market firms have benefited from increased access to information, resources, and business opportunities.
Established in 2003, SODP is an award winning project that has created a powerful network of 25 locally owned, emerging seed companies operating in eight countries in East, Southern, and West Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, and Mali). SODP operates through a Fellows Program; selected seed companies that serve smallholder farmers in Africa may join the program by invitation.
THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE SODP ARE TO:
- Build management capacity of small to medium-sized local seed companies in order to improve their market delivery systems for low-income farmers;
- Create platforms for networking among African seed companies, research institutions and other seed industry stakeholders to improve the former’s effectiveness in meeting the needs of smallholder farmers;
- Conduct research on the seed industry that will guide strategies of locally-owned seed companies serving resource-poor farmers and inform public policy.
These objectives are accomplished through a number of activities including workshop training, distance learning, field visits, one-on-one consultations, Seed Trading Forum, student attachments, and research.