SILT seed policy meeting: 26 September in Arusha
The partners in the Scaling-up Improved Legume Technologies (SILT) have set the date for their first policy workshop. The meeting will take place on 26 September in Arusha, Tanzania.
Invitations are currently being sent out to key individuals in institutions including the ministry of agriculture, livestock and fisheries, the Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute and the Sokoine University of Agriculture. SILT partners from African Fertilizer and Agri-business Partnership, IITA and N2Africa are taking the lead on this event.
The SILT project is working to improve both information flows and access to improved legume technology inputs (seed, fertilizer and inoculants) to support small scale farming families to grow common bean and soyabean more successfully. One of the key problems for the project is the acute shortage of improved seed.
Dr (Andrew) Mbette Mshindo Msolla, Country Director-Tanzania, the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), noted “The main objective of the meeting is to look into policy-related issues that hamper development of the seed sector and which results in low use of various improved seeds in Tanzania. Whilst the meeting will address the seed sector in general, it will put a special emphasis on common and soy beans being promoted by SILT.
The Seed Policy Node under AGRA’s Soil Health Program developed a number of policy briefs on seed. This meeting intends to review the extent of their implementation, and it will also identify any other new issues that hamper increased use of improved seed by small-scale Tanzanian farmers.“