THE ROLES OF THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS IN ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF SEED SYSTEMS

Seeds are crop-based agriculture's most important input, yet few developing countries have succeeded in establishing efficient seed production and supply systems. In many developing countries the large-scale, centralized state farms and public seed corporations established to multiply and disseminate improved seeds of selected crops have proved ineffectual, failing to meet the diverse crop and varietal requirements of farmers. Governments and assisting agencies are currently reassessing their strategies, paying greater attention to the potential contributions of private firms, cooperatives, other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and farmers themselves. This article contributes to that reassessment. It defines the scope for involving the private sector in an array of seed-related activities, identifies critical and complementary roles for the public sector, and reviews seed system development in industrial and developing countries, with a primary focus on institutional dimensions. The article advocates a phased withdrawal of the public sector from the commercial side of seed production and marketing, while recognizing a continued important role for the public sector in plant breeding research, germplasm and varietal maintenance, training, quality control, and consumer protection.