Promoting Resilience through Improved Varieties, Quality Seed, and Better Seed Systems: Lessons from Nigeria
Across sub-Saharan Africa, small-scale, resource-poor farmers are disproportionately affected by climatic and market shocks. Providing them with the tools and technologies to manage these shocks is critical to building resilience, especially in Nigeria, with its considerable diversity.
This seminar will showcase novel evidence of how improved crop varieties, quality seed, and better seed systems can lead to improved outcomes in productivity, resilience, and nutrition across several Nigerian states. The event will bring together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to present and reflect on this evidence, providing insights into adoption, demand, willingness to pay, complementarity of inputs, yields, and household consumption.
The discussion will center on lessons for promoting improved inputs across similar settings, with a focus on how inputs can most effectively be marketed to vulnerable households to promote resilience.
Introduction and Opening Remarks
- Oliver Kiptoo Kirui, Research Fellow and Acting Program Leader, IFPRI Nigeria
Internal Displacement and the Promotion of Agricultural Intensification in Nigeria
- Rewa Misra, Head National Policy and Innovative Finance, HarvestPlus
Interventions to Accelerate Varietal Turnover and Enhance Seed Resilience in Northern Nigeria
- Catherine Ragasa, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
New Evidence on the Productivity, Profitability, and Welfare Impacts of Insect-Resistant Cowpea in Nigeria
- David Spielman, Director, Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit, IFPRI
Panel Discussion
- Chinedu Agbara, Partner, Sahel Consulting
- Jonathan Mockshell, Scientist and Project Leader, Alliance Bioversity & CIAT
- Muhyideen Oyekunle, Maize Breeder/Lecturer, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR)
- Mohammed Jada, Oxfam Novib
Closing Remarks
- Arun Baral, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), HarvestPlus
Moderator
- Kate Ambler, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI