Developing Sustainable Cowpea Seed Systems for Smallholder Farmers through Innovation Platforms in Nigeria: Experience of TL III Project

Limited access to and low use of quality seed of improved varieties rank among the topmost causes of persistently low cowpea yields in Nigeria. This paper presents experiences under the Tropical Legume III (TL III) project in facilitating the access of smallholder farmers to seeds of improved cowpea varieties through the establishment of innovation platforms (IPs) that were introduced in 2015 as part of the activities of the TL III project. There was rapid adoption and use of newly released varieties by farmers as a result of increased awareness of improved varieties through multi-media and user-friendly communication strategies and tools. During the four years of the project (2015–2018), a total of seven multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs), which comprised six seed companies, 46 farmer groups, five public seed enterprises, two NGOs, and 718 individual seed entrepreneurs and other stakeholders, were established/strengthened to link actors in the cowpea value chain. Community-based seed producers were linked to seed companies while seed companies were linked to research institutions to access early generation seed (EGS). These activities led to the production of over 532 tons of basic seed and 8366 tons of certified/QDS seed of improved cowpea varieties that were entrenched in the seed system. Yield also increased almost twofold from 500 to 900 kg/ha on farmers’ field. Women and youth incomes increased as a result of seed entrepreneurship activities. The small packs approach was an efficient and cost-effective means of reaching more farmers with affordable quantities of seed and a wide range of preferred varieties.