Gender-inclusive cassava breeding: Insights from commercial seed companies in Nigeria

Since 2015, Nigeria’s public cassava breeding program, led by IITA in collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), has focused on developing new cassava varieties to cater to the diverse needs of cassava users across the value chain. A key aspect of this initiative has been identifying gender-specific traits preferences, ensuring that breeding decisions optimally align with the unique priorities of both women and men along the cassava value chain.

A recent study shows that beyond conventional research that interacts directly with crop users along the value chain, commercial seed companies such as IITA GoSeed and Umudike Seeds have become important sources of insights on gender specific preferences and show large potential. By promoting and selling improved seeds (in the form of stem cuttings in the case of cassava) through the upcoming formal commercial seed system, these companies acquire valuable feedback from seed users, thereby validating and complimenting earlier research findings on gender-specific trait preferences and providing breeders with market intelligence data in real time to pragmatically steer future investments.

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