Feed the Future Southern African Development Community Harmonized Seed Regulations Project Quarterly Progress Report

The project aims to harmonize policies and regulations governing seed trade in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to facilitate seed trade across the region, integrating small and isolated national markets into one larger SADC market for seeds. HSRP will focus on four Feed the Future focus and aligned countries: Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. The project will leverage South Africa's more advanced seed sector and agricultural economy to benefit lower-income countries in the region. HSRP will ensure that seed technologies, innovations, and management practices are shared with target countries to improve seed value chains. The project's activities will achieve two results under the Trade and Food Security Project Results Framework: IR 1.1 Improved Agricultural Productivity. These results include increased availability of improved seeds in the region and increased availability of technologies, management practices, and innovations. HSRP implementation activities will focus on five important crosscutting themes, including human and institutional capacity development (HICD), public-private partnerships, gender and disadvantaged groups, Feed-the-Future principles, and participation of civil society and partner institutions. HSRP was awarded on December 11, 2015, with start-up beginning in early January. The project team met with the USAID Mission in Pretoria on January 13, 2016, for the post-award meeting. This Quarterly Report follows the template provided by USAID COR. The project team conducted meetings with SADC/FANR and USAID Missions, as well as Stakeholder Consultations in the four HSRP target countries. In Zambia, the Chief of Party (COP) held five meetings with SADC Seed Centre Interim Coordinator Kaliponchi Kawonga to discuss plans for developing the SADC Seed Centre. Results included a draft FY2017 operating budget for the Seed Centre, an agreement that the Seed Centre business model should focus on sources of revenue besides grants, and an agreement to collaborate on meetings with national seed authorities (NSA) and plant protection organizations (NPPO) in SADC Member States. In Malawi, the COP, Country Advisor, and USAID/Southern Africa COR met with USAID/Malawi to discuss HSRP activities in Malawi, coordination, and communication requirements. HSRP conducted Stakeholder Consultations in Lilongwe with public and private seed sector actors, providing insights into Malawi's variety release and plant protection systems and the critical roles of the SADC Seed Center. In Mozambique, the COP, Policy Development Specialist, and Mozambique Country Advisor met with USAID/Mozambique to discuss HSRP plans in Mozambique. USAID/Mozambique provided information on local seed programs and feedback on HSRP plans. HSRP also conducted a Stakeholder Consultation in Maputo with public and private sector representatives to introduce HSRP and identify national stakeholders' seed trade priorities. The project's progress during the first quarter of Year 1 has laid the foundation for future activities, including the development of the SADC Seed Centre and the implementation of Stakeholder Consultations in the four HSRP target countries. The project team will continue to work with SADC/FANR, USAID Missions, and national seed authorities to achieve the project's results and improve agricultural productivity in the region.