Cassava Seed System Advocacy and Scaling Model

From Advocacy to Action: Replicating Success with Lasting Investment

This technology is a model that helps development agencies support the growth of strong, national cassava seed systems. Instead of short projects or free seed distribution, it focuses on long-term solutions by working with governments to include cassava seed strategies in their national policies and programs. The model helps identify what’s not working in the current system, brings all key actors together, and supports actions that lead to real change. It uses proven tools like digital certification, seed business models, and demand creation campaigns.

The approach follows six steps: seed system diagnosis, stakeholder engagement, strategy integration, capacity building, innovation promotion, and monitoring. It has already helped development partners support seed system reforms in over 10 countries, with more than USD 26.6 million in investments. It is a practical way for development agencies to align their support with national goals and reach more farmers with clean, improved cassava varieties.

This technology is pre-validated.

9•9

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

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

Gain access to training, market opportunities, and investments through policy-driven support.

The poor: Positive medium

Supported through stronger, market-based seed systems that reduce dependence on free seed distribution.

Under 18: Positive medium

May benefit from inclusive frameworks, though not directly targeted by advocacy activities.

Women: Positive medium

Included indirectly through seed entrepreneurship and policy engagement, though not the primary focus.

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

The model works across diverse agro-ecological zones and promotes climate-resilient cassava seed technologies.

Farmer climate change readiness: Moderate improvement

Improves farmer preparedness by supporting access to climate-smart varieties and good practices through national programs.

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Encourages the use of multiple improved cassava varieties, helping reduce genetic erosion and supporting varietal diversity.

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Digital coordination and policy planning reduce the need for repeated physical meetings and seed distribution trips.

Environmental health: Moderately improves environmental health

Promotes clean planting material and lowers the use of agrochemicals by reducing the spread of seed-borne diseases.

Problem

Widespread use of free seed distribution undermines sustainability:
Many donor-supported programs still rely on distributing cassava seed for free to achieve fast results. While well-intentioned, this approach creates market distortions, fosters farmer dependency, and discourages private sector involvement.
Limited integration of innovations into national systems:
Promising seed technologies and models often remain confined to project areas. Without strategic engagement with governments, these solutions are not embedded into public programs or national policies—reducing the long-term impact of development investments.
Lack of coordinated advocacy and ownership:
In many countries, there is no unified platform to align donors, government actors, and implementers around a shared vision for cassava seed system transformation. This leads to fragmented efforts and duplicated investments.
Short project cycles with no continuity mechanisms:
Many development interventions are not designed with a clear pathway to scale or institutional uptake. Once the project ends, progress is often lost due to lack of national ownership or sustained financing.

Solution

Reduces market distortion caused by free seed distribution:
The model promotes a shift from subsidy-based approaches to market-driven systems. It strengthens seed entrepreneurship and uses communication campaigns and public-private trials to stimulate real demand for improved cassava seed—helping partners invest in sustainable seed markets.
Ensures innovations are scaled and embedded in national systems:
Through advocacy platforms and close engagement with government stakeholders, the model helps integrate proven seed solutions into public investment plans. This enables development agencies to fund reforms that are nationally owned, budgeted, and scalable.
Improves alignment and policy influence:
The model offers structured advocacy mechanisms that connect donors, government ministries, and other actors. This enhances coordination, reduces duplication, and ensures development investments support a shared national strategy for cassava seed systems.
Builds lasting capacity and systems beyond the project cycle:
With tools like seed system assessments, capacity building, and results tracking, the model helps development partners invest in reforms that continue after project funding ends. It supports systemic change rooted in evidence and local ownership.

Key points to design your program

For development partners, this model offers a structured way to support cassava seed system reform at scale. It goes beyond isolated projects by focusing on national ownership, policy integration, and long-term impact. The following key points highlight how donors can effectively engage and guide early action, starting with technical collaboration and strategic alignment.

Key Points for Development Partners

Start by engaging with IITA. Development partners should contact IITA to explore collaboration opportunities and access technical support, standardized tools, and planning guidance.
Support national reform, not standalone projects. This model is designed to work within government-led strategies. Donor-funded efforts should reinforce public systems and drive long-term structural change rather than short-term service delivery.
Encourage institutional buy-in. Partner with Ministries of Agriculture or national research systems that can co-lead implementation and ensure alignment with national agricultural priorities.
Invest in early diagnostics. Supporting a seed system assessment is a cost-effective first step to identify policy, capacity, and market gaps—and to design interventions grounded in local realities.
Facilitate stakeholder alignment workshops. Donors can support multi-actor inception workshops to define roles, responsibilities, and shared objectives among key actors (e.g., regulators, extension services, private sector, and farmer groups).
Formalize collaboration through simple agreements. Use MoUs or other forms of collaboration agreements to define the scope of donor involvement, ensure accountability, and promote joint ownership across institutions.
Integrate efforts into existing national platforms. Avoid setting up parallel systems. Align donor support with active cassava task forces, seed certification programs, or agricultural investment frameworks to ensure sustainability.
Use standardized advocacy, training, and M&E tools. Leveraging available materials from IITA and its partners ensures quality and consistency across different regions and donor programs.
Encourage early government commitment. Even modest public investment signals readiness and increases the effectiveness of donor co-financing.
Leverage existing institutions. Focus on strengthening regulators, seed inspection systems, extension agents, and national seed platforms rather than creating new entities.
Use success stories to build momentum. Share results from Nigeria, Tanzania, and other countries to demonstrate impact and drive political and institutional buy-in.
Promote regional learning and coordination. Development partners can support cross-country collaboration to align approaches, share tools, and unlock regional or continental funding streams.
Support phased and scalable implementation. The model allows for gradual investment—starting with policy advocacy and system strengthening, then expanding based on results and available resources.

IP

Open source / open access

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
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.

Goal 1: no poverty

Supports income generation for farmers and seed entrepreneurs by creating a sustainable, market-oriented seed system.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Improves food security through wider access to clean, high-yielding cassava varieties.

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

Promotes job creation and strengthens seed sector institutions, supporting rural economic activity.

Goal 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure

Institutionalizes scalable innovations like digital seed certification and processor-led seed models.

Goal 10: reduced inequalities

Supports inclusive policies and local ownership, improving access for women and youth in rural areas.

Goal 17: partnerships for the goals

Built on partnerships among governments, donors, research institutions, and the private sector for coordinated action.

Seed System Diagnosis
Assess the current cassava seed system to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities for scaling.
Stakeholder Engagement
Organize advocacy meetings, policy dialogues, and sensitization sessions with key actors such as government ministries, donors, and technical partners.
Strategy Integration
Work with national planners and funding partners to embed cassava seed system priorities into agricultural strategies, investment plans, and public programs.
Capacity Building
Train seed regulators, extension agents, seed entrepreneurs, and media actors to strengthen the overall seed system.
Innovation Promotion
Conduct demand creation trials, showcase successful cases, and promote public-private collaboration to increase awareness and uptake of improved cassava seeds.
Monitoring and Reporting
Use tracking tools to measure progress on policy change, investment, adoption, and overall system performance.