ILCI-Caribbean-Atlantic Seed Systems Initiative (CASSi)

Developing local systems for the supply of improved, climate-resilient seed in Haiti and Senegal

Haiti and Senegal are an ocean apart geographically but share two things in common: chronically low crop yields among smallholder farmers and a dependency on rain-fed, smallholder agriculture to supply the bulk of food and income. Climate change has posed additional challenges to delivering staple food security crops, with severe droughts in Senegal and frequent and devastating storms in Haiti.

The ILCI-Caribbean-Atlantic Seed Systems Initiative (CASSi) strengthens alliances between researchers and farmers to effectively get improved seeds into the market. The initiative unites public sector-led research with the extension focus of the private sector with Seed Systems Group, an Africa-based team of seed systems specialists working to enhance the delivery of improved seeds to smallholder farmers.

The initiative drives investment in three primary areas which lie downstream from standard crop breeding activities, including:

• farmer-participatory crop breeding and early-generation seed supply;
• the establishment and growth of private seed enterprises; and
• broadly raising farmer awareness of the value of improved crop varieties.