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CSE Model: Cassava Seed Entrepreneur Business Model

Transforming Cassava Farming Through Entrepreneurial Innovation!

The CSE Business Model is a streamlined, government-endorsed approach that trains and certifies local entrepreneurs in basic seed production, uses a simple digital platform for quality control, links producers to ready buyers through pre-agreed contracts, provides small-scale financing via local cooperatives, and is fully scalable—already delivering over 80 million disease-free cuttings worth USD 1.5 million in Tanzania and 34 million cuttings worth USD 220 000 in Nigeria each year.

This technology is pre-validated.

9•3

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 9/9; level of use 3/9

79 %

ROI estimated by the technology provider

IP

Open source / open access

Problem

Low-Yielding, Poor-Quality Seeds: Poor-quality planting materials, with high pest and disease loads, contribute to low yields (around 8 tonnes per hectare in many regions), below the potential of 20+ tonnes per hectare for cassava.
Inefficient Seed Supply Chain: Informal, unregulated seed systems have led to limited availability of certified seeds and hindered private sector investment.
Limited Commercial Investment: Cassava’s lower return on investment compared to cereal crops has deterred private companies from engaging in the seed business.
Inconsistent Seed Quality: Informal seed systems do not meet quality standards, leading to poor crop performance and increased vulnerability to diseases.

Solution

Certified Seed Production: The CSE model trains and certifies local entrepreneurs to produce high-quality cassava seeds, ensuring a reliable supply of clean planting material for farmers.
Digital Certification: Platforms like Seed Tracker facilitate certification and traceability, enhancing seed quality control and enabling transparency for private sector actors.
Business Growth: The model supports entrepreneurs with training in seed agronomy, business management, and financial literacy, helping them build sustainable businesses.
Market Access: The model creates a strong market network, linking seed producers with processors, agro-dealers, and government regulators, ensuring that demand and supply align.
Financial Inclusion: Access to financing through SACCOS and RLFs enables entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and increase production, further enhancing the overall seed supply system.

Key points to design your business plan

The Cassava Seed Entrepreneur (CSE) Business Model delivers a high-margin, scalable seed-supply chain by professionalizing multiplication, certification and market linkages for premium cassava planting materials. It guarantees traceable, disease-free seed to meet rising demand, bolsters your ESG and gender-inclusion targets, and enhances climate resilience across your value network. To integrate the CSE Model into your corporate strategy, consider these key actions:

Market & Partner Scoping: Map input suppliers, processors and agro-dealer networks prioritizing clean-seed sourcing. Identify and profile banks, impact investors and funds to assess lending terms and impact metrics.
Off-take & Joint-Venture Agreements: Co-develop contracts with CSEs that lock in minimum purchase volumes, quality benchmarks and delivery schedules. Structure revenue-share models that optimize entrepreneur margins while securing competitive seed pricing.
Digital Traceability & QA Roll-out: Deploy SeedTracker™ licenses for plot registration, batch tagging and mobile e-certification. Integrate real-time traceability feeds into your procurement systems to guarantee origin and quality compliance.
Training & Capacity Building: Sponsor “train-the-trainer” sessions on seed agronomy, business management and digital QA for your extension teams and CSEs.
Marketing & Co-branding: Develop joint-branded flyers, digital campaigns and demonstration days showcasing “clean seed” yield and quality gains. Leverage success stories in your CSR reports and commercial outreach to reinforce market trust.

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

Increased access to quality seeds enhances productivity and income, improving livelihoods.

The poor: Positive medium

Access to affordable, certified seeds leads to higher yields and income, contributing to poverty alleviation.

Women: Positive high

With 32–34% female participation, the model promotes gender inclusion and economic empowerment.

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

The model is operational across diverse agro-ecological zones—including arid, semi-arid, sub-humid, and humid climates—demonstrating strong performance under varied weather and growing conditions

Farmer climate change readiness: Moderate improvement

Its improves farmer access to clean, certified seed, often of climate-resilient varieties, and supports agronomic training that helps farmers better cope with pest outbreaks and erratic weather patterns.

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

By enabling the multiplication and distribution of a broader range of improved and disease-resistant cassava varieties, the model encourages varietal diversity and reduces the spread of pests and diseases.

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

The decentralized nature of the seed system reduces long-distance transportation and reliance on repeated planting due to poor seed quality, leading to lower emissions compared to informal or government-led seed supply chains.

Environmental health: Moderately improves environmental health

The model promotes better agronomic practices and disease management, which can reduce the misuse of agrochemicals and improve the overall environmental conditions in farming communities.

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Cassava Seed Entrepreneurs are trained in proper land preparation and crop rotation practices, contributing to better soil structure and nutrient balance over time.

Water use: Same amount of water used

The model does not directly affect irrigation or water consumption. However, improved planting materials may indirectly improve water use efficiency through better crop establishment.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Rwanda	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid	–	–	–	–
Semiarid	–		–
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Sustainable Development Goal 1: no poverty

Goal 1: no poverty

By boosting farmer incomes through higher yields and seed‐business revenue, it helps lift rural households out of poverty.

Sustainable Development Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 2: zero hunger

Clean, certified planting materials cut disease losses and raise cassava productivity, improving food security.

Sustainable Development Goal 5: gender equality

Goal 5: gender equality

With 32–34 % female entrepreneur participation, it empowers women economically and promotes equal opportunity.

Sustainable Development Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

Fosters rural jobs and small enterprises in seed production, driving inclusive economic growth.

Sustainable Development Goal 17: partnerships for the goals

Goal 17: partnerships for the goals

Leverages collaboration among governments, NGOs, finance institutions and private actors to scale impact.

Conduct Market Assessment: Evaluate farmers' willingness to pay for improved seeds and identify demand for specific cassava varieties.
Identify and Recruit Entrepreneurs: Select individuals with business acumen and interest in seed production.
Provide Training: Offer comprehensive training in seed agronomy, business management, and quality assurance.
Facilitate Certification: Assist entrepreneurs in registering with national seed authorities and using digital tools for certification.
Establish Market Linkages: Connect seed entrepreneurs with processors, agro-dealers, and farmer associations to ensure market access.
Provide Financial Support: Enable access to credit through SACCOS and RLFs to support business operations.
Monitor and Support: Offer ongoing technical assistance and monitor progress to ensure quality and sustainability.

Downloads

ROI calculation for CSEBM technologies.pdf (PDF, 204.64 KB)
CSEs Commercially Sustainable Cassava Seed.pdf (PDF, 644.46 KB)

Last updated on 27 May 2025

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
James Legg

Commodities

Cassava

Sustainable Development Goals Details ›

Sustainable Development Goal 1: no poverty

Sustainable Development Goal 2: zero hunger

Sustainable Development Goal 5: gender equality

Sustainable Development Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

Sustainable Development Goal 17: partnerships for the goals

+ 2 more

Category

Practices

Subcategory

Yield improvement Seed system Production system

Value chain step

Pre-production

Tested/adopted in Details ›

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Where it can be used Details ›

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones.

Target groups

Farmers Processors Seed companies Advisory and Extension Services Seed Regulators