Getting quality seeds of improved varieties to every farmer: A conversation on CGIAR’s Inclusive Delivery approach

How can we ensure that the improved, climate-resilient varieties developed by CGIAR and partners reach the smallholder farmers who need them most? This question lies at the heart of CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow’s Inclusive Delivery (formerly Seed Equal). We sat down with Christopher Ojiewo, Inclusive Delivery Lead, to unpack what ‘inclusive delivery’ means and how it can transform smallholder livelihoods. 

Q: What is Inclusive Delivery, and why is it so important right now?

Chris Ojiewo: Inclusive Delivery, as part of CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow, aims to ensure that the benefits of CGIAR and partner breeding research – improved, climate-resilient, nutritious, and market-preferred varieties – reach farmers’ fields. CGIAR and partners continuously develop remarkable innovations, but the challenge is often delivery: ensuring that quality seed gets into the hands of farmers, including women and marginalized groups who are frequently left out of formal seed systems. Seed is the vehicle that carries improved genetics into the hands of farmers, later expressed in traits such as early maturity, higher yield, stress tolerance, good aroma, and taste, among others. 

Many farmers still rely on older less productive varieties, some of which are vulnerable to droughts, pests, and diseases. Besides, many farmers use poor quality seed with below-average genetic purity, germination and vigor, as well as a load of seed-borne diseases. 

Inclusive Delivery focuses on building robust, equitable, and dynamic seed systems that close this gap, so farmers can access and benefit from the right quality seeds of improved varieties designed for their conditions and markets. We work closely with the National Agricultural Research Institutions (NARIs) and regional associations such as the African Plant Breeders Association (APBA) and the Regional Universities Forum (RUFORUM) to contextualize variety design and deployment to local needs.

Q: How does this approach differ from traditional seed dissemination efforts?

Chris Ojiewo: Unlike traditional linear delivery, where breeders develop varieties and extension services distribute them, Inclusive Delivery treats seed systems as complex ecosystems involving farmers, seed producers, traders, regulators, NGOs, and private firms. 

We work across these ecosystems to co-design solutions with partners, ensuring that seed delivery is demand-driven, gender-responsive, and market-aligned. Our research doesn’t just ask how to produce more seed, but how to ensure that all target groups are part of the system. 

We research to position varieties in the right market segments, demonstrating their value proposition against current benchmarks, and developing convincing business cases evidenced with robust data to support investment decisions. 

Q: What are Inclusive Delivery’s main areas of interventions?

Chris Ojiewo: Inclusive Delivery is organized around four core components, which we call our “High-Level Outputs”:  

• POSITION focuses on understanding demand: which traits and varieties are needed, where, and by whom. We co-design inclusive seed-sector strategies and demand-creation models to align breeding outputs with real market needs. 

• DEPLOY deals with the supply side, helping partners produce and deliver quality seed efficiently and at scale in response to demand signals 

• TRACK generates evidence. We design low-cost tools to monitor varietal adoption, seed turnover, and quality seed use, helping partners understand what works and adjust strategies accordingly. 

• POWER links innovation with policy and partnerships. We collaborate with governments and private actors to improve regulatory frameworks and create space for women and youth in seed entrepreneurship.  

Together, these components ensure that CGIAR’s crop innovations don’t stop at the research station, but reach farmers and consumers through efficient, inclusive, and sustainable systems. 

Q: How does Inclusive Delivery work with partners on the ground?

Chris Ojiewo: Collaboration is absolutely central. CGIAR doesn’t distribute seeds directly. We enable and strengthen the systems that do. Inclusive Delivery acts as a bridge between international breeding programs, national partners and the private sector. We work closely with governments, seed companies, farmer cooperatives, NGOs, and community-based organizations to co-create locally appropriate solutions. 

At the global level, we signed an MoU with the International Seed Federation (ISF) to expedite product handover from research and development to commercialization by the private sector. Regionally, we work closely with seed companies that are members of Asia-Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA), Africa Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), and the America Seed Trade Association (ASTA).  

In the policy space, Africa Seed and Biotechnology Partnership Platform (ASBPP), Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) are some of our closest partners.

This can mean helping informal producers meet quality standards or aligning private investment with smallholder demand. We use digital tools and market data to match supply and demand efficiently. 

Q: How does gender and social inclusion fit into the approach?

Chris Ojiewo: Inclusion isn’t a side activity, it’s embedded in everything we do. Women farmers often face systemic barriers to information, finance, and decision-making. By combining technical interventions with social innovations, Inclusive Delivery helps change that. 

One example is the Youth and Women Quality Centers (YWQC) model, which integrates behavior change strategies with technical interventions to overcome barriers in seed production and marketing. These centers empower women and young people to take leadership roles across the seed value chain, enhancing their skills, improving seed quality assurance, and helping local communities trust and adopt improved varieties. 

Ultimately, inclusive seed systems don’t just distribute seed; they redistribute opportunity. 

Q: What outcomes does Inclusive Delivery aim to achieve in the next few years?

Chris Ojiewo: Our overarching goal is to increase both the demand for and the delivery of quality seed of improved varieties among smallholders. But beyond numbers, we’re aiming for systems change: seed sectors that are sustainable, equitable, and resilient. 

Examples of success are numerous. In Zambia, the Demand-Led Seed System (DLSS) model, developed by the Pan African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) and mainstreamed by Inclusive Delivery, has transformed the bean seed sector. Early Generation Seed production increased by 221%, and certified and quality-declared seed output rose six-fold between 2021 and 2023.

In Kenya, we launched a national policy engagement process that is designing new regulatory guidelines for Vegetatively Propagated Crops (VPCs) such as cassava and sweet potato. Clearer rules for these crops will strengthen quality assurance and open new market opportunities for small producers. 

When all the pieces come together, farmers are better equipped to face climate shocks, improve nutrition, and connect to profitable markets.

Q: Finally, how does Inclusive Delivery connect to CGIAR’s broader mission?

Chris Ojiewo: Inclusive Delivery is the “last mile” of the breeding pipeline; the link between discovery and impact. CGIAR breeding generates the next generation of climate-resilient and market-preferred varieties. Inclusive Delivery ensures that these innovations reach their targets rather than sitting on the shelves.  

By building inclusive seed systems, we’re improving productivity and contributing directly to the Sustainable Development Goals; ending hunger, empowering women, fostering climate resilience, and strengthening local economies. 

As we like to say: no food security without seed security and better seeds mean better lives, but only if they reach everyone. Inclusive Delivery makes that possible. 

Resources

• Learn more on Inclusive Delivery
• Press Release: ISF and CGIAR forge partnership to improve farmers’ access to quality seed and innovation
• Blog: Expanding access to quality seeds for women and youth in Uganda and beyond
• Blog: Advancing regulatory change for quality assurance of planting material for vegetatively propagated crops in Kenya
• Blog: Demand-led approaches boost common bean access in Zambia

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Main image: Market in Hanoi, Vietnam, photo by C. de Bode/CGIAR. Written by Julie Puech, CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow. This work contributes to CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow (B4T) Science Program through its Inclusive Delivery Area of Work.