The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is marking its 20th anniversary in 2026 by highlighting three case studies from Mali and Nigeria that, according to the organization, illustrate a two-decade effort to connect improved seed varieties with smallholder farmers through coordinated supply systems rather than research alone.
AGRA marks 20 years with case studies from Mali and Nigeria on closing gap between seed innovation and farmers
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is marking its 20th anniversary in 2026 by highlighting three case studies from Mali and Nigeria that, according to the organization, illustrate a two-decade effort to connect improved seed varieties with smallholder farmers through coordinated supply systems rather than research alone.
In Mali, AGRA-supported scholarship funding enabled Dr. Mamadou Mory Coulibaly to pursue a PhD at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) in Ghana, where he shifted his focus from sorghum to maize breeding — a field in which Mali had no national capacity at the time, according to the account. Coulibaly is described as having helped establish hybrid maize development programmes that moved Mali from dependence on imported seeds to producing its own varieties, some of which are now reportedly exported to Senegal and Guinea.
The Mali case is presented as demonstrating an ecosystem approach in which research institutes supply genetic material and early-generation seeds, companies multiply them, and farmers test and decide whether to adopt them. Dr. Coulibaly is quoted as noting that farmers do not change varieties on the basis of advice alone but compare varieties, observe yields and assess performance before deciding.
In Kaduna and Niger States in Nigeria, AGRA partnered with Value Seeds Limited to make improved maize, rice and soybean varieties available to smallholder farmers, with a stated target of 70,000 women smallholder farmers. The approach centred on making early-generation seeds available to seed companies for multiplication and large-scale distribution through networks of agro-dealers and community-based advisors. Reported yields are said to have risen from 2.5 to 5.6 tonnes per hectare for maize, from 4 to 6.8 tonnes for rice, and from 1 to 1.8 tonnes for soybeans.
A third Nigerian case involves zinc-enriched rice varieties, where an entity identified as CESSA is described as bridging an adoption gap by convening demonstration plots, field days and demand-creation activities. The source states that 17 seed companies and more than 10 independent outgrowers are now engaged in the zinc-enriched rice commercialization chain.
- The source does not state the methodology used to measure or verify the reported yield increases, nor who collected or audited the figures.
- The source does not state how many of the targeted 70,000 women smallholder farmers were actually reached.
- The source does not identify what CESSA stands for or provide further detail on the organization.
- The source does not provide independent or third-party verification of any of the yield or adoption figures cited.
- The source does not state the total funding AGRA provided across the three programmes or the overall budget for the initiatives described.
- The source does not state the current status of Dr. Coulibaly's role or institution at the time of publication.
Read the original at Africanews