Seed Co

Plant breeding activities in index region
Seed Co has its own breeding programme in Ghana and Nigeria. The company also conducts extensive variety testing in index countries across the region on crops from its own breeding programme as well as that of others, such as those from research institutes including the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

Seed production activities in index region
Seed Co has seed production activities in Nigeria and Ghana, where it engages organisations, cooperatives and local farmers. However, the company has the opportunity to improve its performance in this area by providing examples of how it involves local players in its seed production activities.

Quality management in seed production in index countries
Seed Co has an externally certified quality management system from the National Agricultural Seed Council in Nigeria, which is an ISTA accredited government organisation. The system covers all of its seed production in Ghana and Nigeria.

Diverse portfolio
Seed Co offers a diverse portfolio with four or more varieties for the majority of crops in the majority of index countries where it has sales. The company offers hybrids, open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) and GM varieties.

Extension services
Seed Co has sales agronomists in all farming provinces and districts where it is active in the region, who provide agronomy and extension services to small-scale farmers. The company further provides ongoing farmer support through its radio, TV, digital and print media programmes as well as through field days. It also conducts farmer education programmes across the region, equipping them with agronomic training to help them achieve high yields as well as ensure good agronomic and grain crop management practices.

Information and communications technology (ICT)
The company provides agronomic advice through webinars, YouTube videos and its website. Seed Co furthers offers a seed agronomy mobile application to aid smallholder farmers in the index countries in the region where it is active. It provides information on company products, weather updates, farming seasons, crop varieties and fertiliser use.

Access to seeds for smallholder farmers and governance and accountability
Seed Co has an access to seeds strategy that includes objectives for research and development, seed production, marketing and sales and capacity building. However, it can expand its strategy to include time-bound targets for some of these objectives. Additionally, the company’s board of directors is responsible for overseeing its access to seeds strategy for smallholder farmers, but it can improve by linking its board remuneration policy to its access to seeds objectives.

Stakeholder engagement
The company undertakes stakeholder engagement activities with organisations such as the African Seed Trade Association and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries. However, it has an opportunity to disclose an overview of issues raised through these activities as well as how it identifies its most relevant stakeholders.

Conservation of genetic resources
Seed Co indicates that it has a vast collection of germplasm. However, it could provide greater clarity on how it promotes agrobiodiversity and the preservation of genetic resources in the region through, for example, the conservation of its own genetic material and collaboration with genebanks. The company does not disclose whether it provides access to its own genetic resources for the benefit of smallholder farmers in the region.

Local participation in breeding/variety development
The company could disclose more information on how it uses feedback from local consumers, traders and smallholder farmers to inform its breeding programme, including feedback from women farmers.

Social and labour rights in seed production
The company states that its suppliers and service providers are bound by their codes of conduct, which are aligned with the ILO’s conventions in relation to ethical trade. To ensure they meet the standards of the codes, it states that its suppliers either undergo regular social compliance checks conducted by independent auditors, or they are required to supply audit reports from independent auditors. However, with regards to child labour, the company could increase transparency by disclosing whether it verifies the age of farm workers and by requesting intermediaries to do the same. Seed Co is also committed to health and safety, but it could improve its performance by increasing its disclosure on quantitative information for its workers. It does not disclose any evidence of policies or commitments related to living wages.

Quality assurance and after-sales
Seed Co monitors its distribution network through visits to stockists to check seed storage conditions, and it works with law enforcement agencies to prevent the sale of counterfeit seeds. To provide after-sales support, the company makes a complaint form available to customers that is processed by its marketing and sales managers. It can improve its disclosure by providing information on its programmes to prevent the sale of expired seeds.

Demonstration and promotion strategies
The company has an opportunity to increase its disclosure regarding demonstration and promotion strategies used in the region.

Maize
Tomato
Wheat

Beans, dry
Cowpea
Groundnut
Maize
Potato
Rice, paddy
Sorghum
Soya bean
Sunflower

Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green bean
Green pea
Lettuce
Melon
Okra
Onion
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Pumpkin
Squash
Tomato
Watermelon

Amaranth

Download the portfolios of all companies in the 2021 index for Western and Central Africa here.

Breeder’s Exemption and Farmer’s Privilege
The company refrains from using contractual clauses or other provisions that limit breeder’s exemption. The company also respects Farmers Privilege’s and allows farmers to save, exchange and even sell non-branded seeds.

Plant breeding activities in index region and variety testing
Seed Co has its own breeding programme in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The company invests in the capacity building of its local research staff in the region and runs an in-house graduate training programme. It also conducts extensive variety testing in index countries across the region, on crops from the company’s own breeding programme and other breeding programmes, such as those from research institutes, including International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and International Potato Center (CIP).

Improved varieties of global crops and breeding programme for specific traits
The company develops improved varieties of field crops with traits that are particularly important for smallholder farmers, such as improved nutritional value and those catering to local taste and cultural preferences. The company also focuses on incorporating resistance and tolerance to regionally important pests and diseases, notably maize streak virus (MSV) and maize lethal necrosis.

Seed production activities in index regions
The company has seed production activities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The company involves local players, building long-term partnerships with stakeholders and partnering with farmers, distributors and retailers in the seed industry.

Quality management in seed production
Seed Co’s entire seed production is covered by an internal quality management system as well as external certifications. Its seed production is certified by an external body in each country. For instance, in Zimbabwe it is certified by the Department of Research & Specialist Services (DRSS) for seed services and in Zambia by the Seed Control & Certification Institute (SCCI.)

Extension services
Seed Co has sales agronomists in all farming provinces and districts who provide agronomy and extension services to small-scale farmers. The company further provides ongoing farmer support through its radio, TV, digital and print media programmes as well as through field days. It also conducts farmer education programmes across the region, equipping them with agronomic training to help them achieve high-yields as well as ensure good agronomic and grain crop management practices.

Programmes for women farmers
Women are targeted through agronomy and extension services in the region, which include dedicated webinars, YouTube videos and face-to-face events. The company organises meetings and collaborates with women groups, such as the women’s banks. It also carries out programmes in partnership with farmer unions, organisations such as Young Women in Agriculture, the Women Agriculture Union and the Ministry of Agriculture’s women’s desk. However, the company has an opportunity to track the number of women farmers reached in the region.

Information and communications technology (ICT)
The company provides agronomic advice through webinars, YouTube videos and its website. Seed Co further offers a seed agronomy app to aid smallholder farmers in the region. The app contains information on company products, weather updates, depots, farming seasons, crop varieties, fertiliser use, news and the Seed Co sales team personnel.

Access to output markets
During field days and farmer training programmes, Seed Co educates farmers on post-harvest management. The company also works closely with the entire value chain to ensure farmer needs are met. It also collaborates with retail and wholesalers to ensure seeds are easily accessible to smallholders and that farmers are well assisted.

Access to seeds for smallholder farmers and governance and accountability
Seed Co has an access to seeds strategy that includes objectives for research and development, seed production, marketing and sales and capacity building. However, it can expand its strategy to include time-bound targets for some of these objectives. Additionally, the company’s board of directors is responsible for overseeing its access to seeds strategy for smallholder farmers, but it can improve in this area by linking its board remuneration policy to its access to seeds objectives.

Stakeholder engagement
The company undertakes stakeholder engagement activities with organisations such as the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries. However, it has an opportunity to disclose an overview of issues raised through these activities as well as how it identifies its most relevant stakeholders.

Breeder’s Exemption and Farmer’s Privilege
The company refrains from using contractual clauses or other provisions that limit breeder’s exemption. The company also respects Farmers Privilege’s and allows farmers to save, exchange and even sell non-branded seeds.

Local participation in breeding/variety development and breeding developing improved varieties of local crops
The company’s respective product development and sales and marketing teams work closely with smallholder farmers in index regions, and their preferences directly inform hybrid development. However, the company could disclose more information on local participation in breeding, including how it incorporates feedback from women farmers.

Engaging smallholder farmers in seed production
The company involves smallholder farmers in its seed production activities and discloses that it offers them contracts, which provide arrangements on product prices. It has the opportunity to improve its performance by providing examples of the contracts offered and evidence on how these arrangements are favourable to smallholders.

Social and labour rights in seed production
Seed Co’s suppliers and service providers are bound by their codes of conduct, which are aligned with the ILO’s conventions in relation to ethical trade. To ensure it meets the standards of the codes, the company’s suppliers either undergo regular social compliance checks conducted by independent auditors, or they are required to supply audit reports from independent auditors. However, the company could increase transparency by disclosing whether it verifies the age of farmers and farm workers and requesting intermediaries to do the same. Seed Co is also committed to health and safety of its workers, but it could improve its performance by disclosing quantitative information on this. The company does not disclose any evidence of policies or commitments related to living wages.

Diverse portfolio
As Seed Co has only a few varieties for the majority of crops in its portfolio in all index countries where it has sales, it can diversify its portfolio by offering more varieties per crop in index countries.

Quality assurance and after-sales
Seed Co monitors its distribution network through visits to stockists to check seed storage conditions, and it works with law enforcement agencies to prevent the sale of counterfeit seeds. To provide after-sales support, the company makes a complaint form available to customers that is processed by its marketing and sales manager. The company can improve its disclosure by providing information on its quality assurance system for germination and seed health and its programmes to prevent the sale of expired seeds.

Maize
Soya bean
Wheat

Beans, dry
Cowpea
Groundnut
Maize
Potato
Rice, paddy
Sorghum
Soya bean
Sunflower
Wheat

Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green bean
Green pea
Lettuce
Melon
Okra
Onion
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Pumpkin
Squash
Tomato
Watermelon

Download the portfolios of all companies in the 2021 index for Eastern and Southern Africa here.