Seeds of Development Program Activities

SODP objectives are accomplished through a Fellows Program, and a Research Program. All activities are coordinated by Market Matters, Inc., in collaboration with the Emerging Markets Program at Cornell University, and other seed industry stakeholders. Check out our photo gallery to see highlights of our activities.

At left: SODP builds management capacity in Africa's seed companies.

Fellows Program

Small and medium sized seed companies that serve smallholder farmers in Africa are carefully selected to become members of a Fellows Program. The Fellows program consists of five major capacity building, and networking activities: Workshop Training, Distance Learning, Field Visits, Seed Trading Forum, and Student Attachments.

Workshop Training: Each year, selected managers from the participating seed companies attend the Making Markets Matter workshop in Stellenbosch, South Africa. In addition to the general agribusiness management training received by all workshop participants, seed industry fellows participate in specialized activities and sessions designed exclusively for the seed industry. Starting in 2006, an additional workshop, exclusive to seed companies has been added.

Distance Learning: Management modules suitable for the seed industry are provided to Fellows based on identified needs. Fellows are kept up-to-date with new developments in the global, regional and domestic seed industry through an email list serve.

Field Visits: Fellows are awarded travel grants to allow them to visit successful seed companies in a country of their choice to learn about relevant aspects of seed production and marketing and to explore business opportunities.

Seed Trading Forum: Every year between harvest and the next planting season, SODP brings together managers from participating companies to network and explore opportunities for seed trading and other collaborative initiatives.

Student Attachments: As part of its capacity building effort, SODP, in collaboration with the Emerging Market Program, facilitates attachments for university students to address specific management and marketing challenges facing Fellow companies. See the following link for a news report on a recent field study course: Cornell students take winter break and provide 'thousands of dollars' of advice and help to Tanzanian seed companies

Research Program

The ongoing Research Program conducts and coordinates market analysis of local seed industries in the selected Eastern and Southern African countries. Much of the research focuses on the seed industry's organizational structure, the participants conduct and the resultant economic performance. Research findings are useful in guiding market and growth strategies for private companies, and in designing seed industry policies and regulations by governments. Case studies of specific seed companies are also being documented and used in workshop training, the distance learning program and for instruction in tertiary institutions. The research activities are coordinated by a Research Associate in the Emerging Markets Program at Cornell University.