World Development

Improving agricultural output and food security is a major concern in sub-Saharan Africa, but many efforts to help farmers improve yields have failed. Recent research has shown that farm inputs are often of very low quality, which may explain suboptimal yields and low adoption of inputs. Researchers and policy makers have focused on two main explanations for this low quality: sellers purposefully faking or adulterating inputs, and seed deterioration along the supply chain. We present the results of testing seeds along the maize supply chain in Uganda for seed performance and genetic and physical purity. We obtain two main results. First, we find no evidence that the average quality of seeds deteriorates along the supply chain. In fact, we find generally good levels of quality on average, though variation in outcomes increases further down the supply chain. Second, we do not find evidence of serious seed faking or adulteration. Instead, the results are more consistent with mishandling and poor storage of seeds. These results have potentially significant implications for agricultural policy and programming in sub-Saharan Africa, which has tended recently to focus on certification to reduce the possibility of adulteration rather than improve the handling of inputs.