| dc.description.abstract | Formal seed maize market chains have increasingly become important in supplying improved
seed maize to farmers and thus aiding in combating hunger and food insecurity. Smallholder
farmers in arid and semi-arid areas parts of Kenya can increase maize yields through the
widespread use of improved hybrid maize varieties. Farmer access to improved germplasm,
however, is limited. This is attributed to poor seed distribution and marketing in the rural areas.
To increase farmers’ access to improved seed, researchers and development practitioners first
need to understand how the seed maize market channels are structured, how they operate, the
bottlenecks to them operating more effectively and the reasons why farmers decide to access
seed via formal or informal channels. These issues are not clearly understood in the semi-arid
areas of Kenya. Against this background, this paper analyses the structure of maize seed input
chains in Machakos District and assesses factors that influence farmer participation in formal and
informal seed chains. Qualitative assessment on the structure of the seed input chains - based on
a market mapping approach - was followed by quantitative analysis of a simple random sample
of 150 households. The study shows that extension contacts, access to credit, farmer group
membership and experience with improved maize varieties favor farmers’ access to formal seed
maize channels are the most important factors. However, distance to output market, distance to
extension service and transaction costs negatively influenced participation in the formal seed
maize channel. Addressing these constraints will enhance smallholder farmers’ access to
improved maize varieties but will require greater public and private sector interventions
especially in the case of provision of extension services. Agricultural extension should not only
play a role in disseminating information and seed technologies but also stimulate the emergence
of agricultural innovation systems. | en_US |
