INSEEDS: Insights on the design of effective seed systems
Research Project funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025.
This project contributes to understanding the fundamental issue of low agricultural productivity by analyzing seed systems and the effectiveness of public support mechanisms in SSA. The objective of INSEEDS is to generate actionable evidence on how seed-focused ISPs can improve agricultural productivity and inclusion through better design and delivery. This will be achieved through three specific research objectives (RO): RO1-Assess the effects of seed-focused ISPs on agricultural productivity across contexts, with particular attention to
program design, delivery mechanisms, and implementation dynamics. This will be done through a systematic review that synthesizes findings from existing evaluations and highlights gaps in the literature to guide further empirical investigation. RO2- Analyze the effects of ISP design and targeting on adoption and productivity outcomes in Senegal, by exploring variation in program structure and implementation intensity. This objective will be addressed using georeferenced agricultural survey data merged with administrative records in
Senegal. Causal identification strategies will be applied, complemented by rich descriptive insights where causality is limited. RO3- Map the structure of the seed delivery system and identify key distortions along the chain in Senegal. This will be done using qualitative fieldwork and institutional mapping to trace the value chain from central allocation to on-farm use, focusing on supply-side failures, leakage, and adaptation strategies among farmers and suppliers. RO1 gives a broad overview of designs and highlights key channels of interest to work out design components; RO2 is an empirical application in one national context taking into consideration program setup at a specific point of time; RO3 builds a comprehensive understanding of institutional bottlenecks, improving the relevance of the project for policy and future replication by bringing together findings from the first two ROs to inform current policy discourse, with evidence drawn from Senegal.
Publications
Project start:
01. May 2026
Project end:
01. May 2028
Project coordination:
Prof. Dr. Jörg Ankel-Peters
Project management:
Fatou Fall Ph.D.
Funding:
European Commission - Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions