Capacity Building Strategies on Cassava Seed System

From Knowledge to Yield — Empowering Cassava Seed Systems.

Building Capacity is a practical, strategy-driven toolkit designed to strengthen cassava seed systems by addressing the core capacity gaps faced by seed producers. It offers tailored training resources, business development tools, and partnership frameworks to improve technical skills, market access, and regulatory collaboration. By equipping actors with the right knowledge and support, Building Capacity enhances seed quality, boosts productivity, and promotes a sustainable, profitable future for cassava and other vegetatively propagated crops.

This technology is pre-validated.

9•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 9/9; level of use 8/9

3,000 USD

Training manual development

3,000 USD

Training Venue and other facilities

10,000 USD

Facilitators Expense

10,800 USD

Cost of printing the training materials

IP

Unknown

Problem

Limited technical skills: Cassava seed producers lack the technical knowledge needed to produce high-quality and certified planting material.
Weak business management: Poor skills in business planning, financial management, and cost recovery limit the profitability and growth of seed enterprises.
Poor market access: Seed producers have limited connections with customers and market networks, reducing their ability to sell their products.
Limited regulatory collaboration: Weak links with seed authorities and limited knowledge of certification requirements restrict market acceptance of seed products.
Limited access to finance: Producers face difficulties with budgeting, investment planning, and accessing financial resources needed to expand their businesses.

Solution

Tailored technical training: The toolkit provides practical training adapted to the specific technical needs of cassava seed producers.
Business development support: Business tools help producers improve planning, financial management, cost recovery, and profitability.
Market access support: The toolkit helps producers understand market demand, identify customers, and strengthen market connections.
Regulatory collaboration: Training and partnerships with seed authorities improve understanding of certification requirements and regulatory compliance.
Capacity assessment and follow-up: Needs assessment and monitoring tools help producers identify capacity gaps and track improvements over time.

Key points to design your business plan

The Building Capacity toolkit offers a clear path for strengthening cassava seed systems, helping seed producers improve operations and increase profitability through targeted capacity building.

To implement the Building Capacity toolkit effectively, seed producers can follow these steps:

Assess Capacity Needs: Profile seed producers to understand their business models, skills gaps, and operational needs. This helps tailor the training and support provided.
Develop a Training Program: Design a training curriculum that addresses technical, business, and regulatory knowledge, aligning with the needs assessment.
Build Partnerships: Collaborate with key stakeholders such as research institutions and seed regulatory agencies to ensure training is aligned with industry standards.
Hands-on Learning: Provide practical demonstrations and on-farm trials to equip producers with real-world knowledge and experience.
Monitor Progress: Establish metrics to track the effectiveness of the capacity-building efforts, ensuring continuous improvement and sustained success.
Ongoing Support: Train local trainers to provide continuous support and ensure the sustainability of the initiative.

By using the Building Capacity toolkit, seed producers can enhance seed quality, improve productivity, and build a sustainable and profitable seed system for cassava.

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive high

Under 18: Positive medium

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released

Environmental health: Does not improve environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology's development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology's readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 9 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: validated

Level of use 8 out of 9

Used by some intended users, in the real world

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 1: no poverty

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

Goal 12: responsible production and consumption

Identify Seed Producers
Start by mapping who the seed producers are—by location, scale, and type of cassava or other vegetatively propagated crops they grow.
Conduct a Needs Assessment
Interview and assess producers to understand their skill gaps in technical areas, business development, and regulatory compliance.
Develop a Customized Training Plan
Based on the assessment, create a training program tailored to each producer group’s needs, using ready-to-go training materials provided in the toolkit.
Organize Trainings and Field Demonstrations
Deliver practical, hands-on training sessions—both classroom-style and on demonstration farms—covering seed production, quality assurance, and marketing.
Link with Partners and Experts
Engage with seed regulatory bodies, research institutions, and extension services to provide expert input and ensure training follows official guidelines.
Monitor Progress and Results
Use simple tracking tools and learning indicators from the toolkit to measure skill improvements, seed quality upgrades, and market performance over time.