Abstract:
Quality seed utilization enhances high production and productivity thereby improving farmers` food security and livelihood. Seed availability, quantity, and affordability contributes a great role to agricultural production and productivity. To address these demands, efficient and responsive seed marketing and distribution supply chain system are required. This in turn call for an integrated assumptions and approaches among all the stakeholders (partners) in the seed sectors and systems. The principal aim of this study is to explore the contribution of direct seed marketing for the availability and accessibility of quality seed in Amhara region, Guanegua woreda, and determine its responsiveness and efficiency to meet farmers` demand. Both primary and secondary data sources were used. To glean valid and reliable data, two stage sampling procedure had been used to select one Wereda and three kebeles. For the survey, questionnaires were prepared and administered to random sampled households. Key informants were purposively selected from institutions like bureau, Integrated Seed System Development, Agricultural Transformation Agency, Seed producers which are the main actors in the value chain. The quantitative and qualitative data were collected from149 household heads and 12 key informants and quantitative data were analyzed mainly using descriptive statistics (likert scale, tabulation, percentage and graphs); while qualitative data were summarized through narrative accounts and interpreted. The results showed that DSM system improved the seed supply as well as use by creating more access in the study area. Now days, farmers in the study area are satisfied with DSM system except the price of seed. So, DSM contributed a significant role to solve farmers’ problem in accessing improved maize seed while some challenges encountered with lack of store, less road accessibility and unfair market competition is observed. Involving more agents and capacitating seed producers are important to enhance the value of DSM more.
Keywords: Accessibility, Availability, direct seed marketing (DSM), Quality seed