A researchers' responsibility?

In an office in a research station in Uganda, three plant breeders talk animatedly about the potential of new varieties of bean, maize and cassava currently being evaluated on-farm. And yet, despite the potential of these varieties, it can take up to five years for seed to be available to farmers other than those that have participated in the trials. However, without the breeder's determination to involve NGOs and farmer organizations in their work, these seeds would be unlikely to become widely available. These researchers know that if a variety is not popular, then no amount of promotion will stimulate its adoption but to what extent should researchers take responsibility for the distribution of improved seed?

In a country, like many others, where government extension is limited and the private sector interest is minimal, Ugandan plant breeders are keen to use whatever means are available in order to see the fruition of their efforts. Within each NARO plant-breeding programme, farmers are involved from the beginning: constraints to current small-scale production are identified and these then prioritized. Farmers assist in selections during the on-station trials before material is sent out to multi-location trials on farm in up to six districts in several different agro-ecological zones across Uganda. However, it is then important to get information out to a wider selection of farmers who may be interested in the new varieties. Each programme produces leaflets and radio is also used. However, all information produced so far has been in English and the priority now is to get information out into at least six of the more than twenty different local languages of Uganda.

Dr Opio, currently Director of Namulonge Research Station, is a plant breeder. She has personally been involved in the promotion and distribution of bean varieties. As she says, "After so much investment in terms of time and effort, as well as in resources, you feel that you have to do the best for your baby". In order to get new varieties to farmers as quickly as possible, Dr Opio has been involved in organizing and running workshops for district extension officers. Training has not only promoted the advantages of the variety but also highlighted the management advice that should be provided to farmers in order to obtain the best yields from the new varieties. In 1996, two hundred kilograms of seed was made available to each district to be distributed one per household, with instructions, in 500g packets with the objective that farmers would give back 500g of seed at the end of harvest from their total yield, which was found to be around 10kg. In one year, this enabled over 1000 farmers to benefit from this variety. Extension officers were also asked to obtain feedback from farmers regarding the yield and their reasons for continuing to plant the variety in subsequent seasons.

Such an approach takes considerable time and effort but Dr Opio feels that it has been worthwhile as the plant breeding team has been able to keep some control over the process of distribution and the information provided to farmers. Although NGOs have played a valuable role in seed distribution in Uganda, researchers have found that the new names that are often given by NGOs to research-station varieties which can lead to confusion amongst farmers seeking additional information. NGOs may themselves try to take credit for a variety and, without the specialist knowledge of plant breeders who know how to obtain the best from the varieties they develop, information can become distorted so that farmers may not be able to achieve the best possible yields.

With cassava, although material is distributed vegetatively and not as a seed, a national network has been established involving scientists, NGOs, extension officers, government officials and donors that have supported cassava research. This has enabled the roles of each stakeholder group to be firmly established in order to evaluate and perfect new technologies and varieties. However, this approach is expensive both in time and cost and cost-sharing amongst stakeholder groups has to be a consideration.

With the establishment of the new National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAADS) in Uganda, it is hoped that some of these problems of seed distribution will be addressed. However, this new service provision is to be farmer-driven so farmers will be unlikely to continue with services that are not satisfactory. So ultimately, will seed distribution become easier and reduce the need for researchers to take responsibility for their varieties? This answer is not yet known but in other countries where extension continues to be restricted, researchers that believe in their work will presumably continue to involve themselves in the responsibility of seeing that the varieties they develop are made more widely available. But, in the end, if policy does not support the effective distribution of seeds, their efforts will be only piecemeal and difficult to sustain.

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