SeedTracker: Digital tool for Strengthening Seed Governance and Certification Systems

Build an efficient seed system!

SeedTracker is a web- and mobile-based application designed for national and decentralized seed system management. It enables registration of seed producers and fields, records inspection activities, provides real-time access to certification status, and generates georeferenced data for decision-making. It works offline and in multiple languages, making it suitable for rural deployment. Regulatory agencies can use it to oversee field activities remotely, support decentralized certification, and build national seed databases.

This technology is pre-validated.

9•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 9/9; level of use 7/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

For youth, Seed Tracker can open up job opportunities, such as becoming trained facilitators, trainers, or technicians, furthering rural economic growth.

The poor: Positive medium

It could potentially improve their seed management practices.

Women: Positive high

Its provides women with better access to high-quality seeds, helping them increase their productivity and income

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Since it is a digital tool, it is adoptable in all zones

Farmer climate change readiness: Moderate improvement

It improves farmer knowledge on access to climate resilient varieties and where to access.

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

As a digital tool, it reduces the dependency on paper use and the need for travel to access fields for certification and other purposes. However, proper assessment is due.

Problem

Fragmented seed certification systems: Many countries still rely on paper-based, decentralized systems, making it difficult for regulators to ensure compliance and quality.
Limited oversight in rural areas: National agencies struggle to monitor seed activities in distant communities.
Lack of traceability: Seed lots cannot be tracked once they leave the farm, weakening accountability.
Weak data systems: Planning for seed demand, pest outbreaks, and variety deployment is limited due to poor data availability.

Solution

Centralized certification and registration system: Allows regulators to digitally record and validate seed field inspections and certification at all levels.
Remote monitoring of decentralized production: Local inspectors enter data that national authorities can access and verify in real time.
Digital traceability: Tracks each seed lot from registration to sale, helping prevent fraud and improving transparency.
Georeferenced seed data: Provides evidence for better planning, resource allocation, and response to seed system gaps.

Key points to design your project

The SeedTracker enhances the traceability, quality assurance, and distribution of certified cassava planting materials, ensuring that smallholder farmers gain improved access to high-quality and climate-resilient cassava varieties.

This technology directly supports national priorities related to climate resilience, gender inclusion, and several Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, the system empowers government bodies to make data-informed decisions, monitor progress in real-time, and design inclusive seed policies with measurable outcomes.

To optimize implementation, the following activities should be planned within your project:

Stakeholder identification and mobilization, including regulatory agencies, farmer groups, and digital service providers.
Capacity building workshops to train seed producers, inspectors, and extension officers on the use of SeedTracker tools.
Digital integration of certification processes to streamline and enhance transparency in seed quality assurance.
Deployment of real-time dashboards to allow ministries and decision-makers to monitor the performance and distribution of seed activities.
Monitoring and evaluation setup, using SeedTracker analytics to track impact, inclusivity, and adoption rates.

A comprehensive implementation toolkit is available and includes user manuals, training videos, dashboards for government monitoring, and helpdesk support. For effective outreach and stakeholder engagement, communication materials such as flyers, explainer videos, and policy briefs can be tailored to your country’s context.

Collaborate with key partners such as National Agricultural Research Institutes and the IITA deployment team.

5,000 USD

Minimum cost

-

Not yet estimated

IP

No formal IP rights

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
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Ghana	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Kenya	Testing ongoing	–Not tested	–Not adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	–Not 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.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Enhances food security by scaling access to high-quality seed.

Goal 5: gender equality

Empowers women and youth to participate in the seed value chain.

Goal 13: climate action

Supports climate adaptation through better planning and resilient varieties.

Goal 17: partnerships for the goals

Fosters collaboration between public and private actors using a common digital platform.

Register: Seed producers and inspectors create secure user accounts on the platform (web or mobile).
Add Seed Fields: Producers register their seed fields, crop variety, and planting date.
Schedule Inspections: Field inspectors use the app to schedule visits and record inspection data.
Monitor Progress: Users can track seed development, quality inspections, and certification status in real time.
Ensure Traceability: Seed lots are traced from planting to distribution using the platform's georeferenced data.
Access Data Offline: Users can operate the tool without internet and sync data when reconnected.
Use Dashboard: Regulators, producers, and buyers can view maps, trends, and seed inventories via a centralized dashboard.
Promote and Connect: Certified seed producers can showcase their inventory and connect with buyers directly through the platform.