The Crop Genetic Pump: A Possible Task for NGOs

Dick Tinsley, an Emeritus Professor with Colorado State University, to facilitate access to seeds of improved crop varieties in developing countries. This concept is particularly relevant in regions where governmental certified crop seed development and distribution programs are insufficient to meet agricultural demands. In developing countries, governments often struggle to provide essential services, including agricultural support services, due to limited revenue funds. As a result, important services such as crop variety development, seed multiplication, and distribution are often deferred to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). NGOs working with smallholder communities can provide a valuable and durable service by obtaining small quantities of advanced breeding lines for important crops and multiplying them within the community for sale and distribution to smallholder farmers at or near market seed prices. The financial situation in developing countries is characterized by suppressed economies and financially stalled governments. Prices for locally produced consumer goods are often one-third to one-fifth of those in developed countries, while salaries and wages are only one-twelfth of those in developed countries. This results in a large percentage of income or subsistence production being used to meet basic requirements, leaving limited tax revenue for government services. As a result, governments are financially stalled, with officers spending most of their time in offices, consuming tea, and looking for additional funding to conduct field work. The impact of this financial situation on crop variety development and seed distribution is significant. Without financial resources from tax revenues, many countries defer their variety development work to collaborative programs with the International Agriculture Research Centers (IARCs). These programs, such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), have the operating funds needed and concentrate on screening imported lines rather than actual genetic crossing. This results in new crop materials being introduced into the country, but they may not be fully suitable for harsher farm conditions. Once varieties are released, multiplication and distribution efforts are left to the host governments, which often lack the capacity to provide more than a small percentage of the seed requirements. This results in farmers relying on market seed, which is informally distributed and has long ago lost its varietal identity. The net result is that virtually no fresh genetic material is entering most smallholder communities through designated channels, and only limited amounts are arriving through informal sources. The Crop Genetic Pump concept proposes that NGOs can play a crucial role in facilitating access to seeds of improved crop varieties by obtaining small quantities of advanced breeding lines and multiplying them within the community. This can help to introduce fresh genetic material to farming communities, improve crop yields, and increase pest resistance. By leveraging the strengths of NGOs and the resources of IARCs, the Crop Genetic Pump can help to address the challenges facing crop variety development and seed distribution in developing countries.