In collaboration with faculty from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, this GCFSI center-led project will investigate how post-harvest and market information influence farmers’ demand for improved maize seeds Ethiopia.

Project Team: Domenico Dentoni and Abebayehu Girma Geffersa, Management Studies Group, Wageningen University

With the serious effects of drought hitting Ethiopia, farmers need maize and other climate resilient grain seed varieties. Yet, farmers’ demand for improved maize seed varieties is limited by post-harvest considerations, including constraints in storage space, transport costs, limited quality and safety control, and limited market development.

This project will investigate how post-harvest and market information influence farmers’ demand for improved maize seeds. To do so, the project first will bring evidence to farmers on the storage business model characteristics available to selected maize farmers, including the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange, cooperative and village storage facilities, as well as agribusiness-owned warehouse facilities.

Second, the project will test the impact of this information on farmers’ demand for improved maize seed varieties.

Project results will inform current public-private investment decisions on scaling up the existing storage business models in Ethiopia.