About the Seeds of Development Program

The Seeds of Development Program (SODP) was initiated in June 2003 with a goal to alleviate rural poverty through improved access to appropriate seed varieties. This goal is accomplished through a Business Development Services program for small to medium sized seed companies complimented by market analysis of domestic seed industries. Currently, SODP works with 25 companies located in seven East and Southern African countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique). A mentorship program for West Africa has recently been developed.

The specific objectives of the SODP are:

  1. To build management capacity of small to medium sized local seed companies in order to improve their market delivery systems for poor farmers;

  2. To create platforms for networking among African seed companies, research institutions and other seed industry stakeholders to improve their effectiveness in meeting the needs of smallholder farmers;

  3. To conduct research on the seed industry that will guide strategies of the local small and medium sized companies serving resource poor farmers and inform public policy.

    4. The above objectives are accomplished through a Fellows Program (objectives 1 and 2), and a Research Program (objective 3). SODP is a project of Market Matters Inc., which works in collaboration with the Emerging Markets Program at Cornell University and various seed industry stakeholders. SODP activities are supported in part by Market Matters Inc., The Rockefeller Foundation, USAID, DFID and participating companies.