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Backgrounder on seeds and seed breeding

Like this edition’s story from Benin, our Script of the week focuses on seeds.

The majority of human food starts as seeds, especially the seeds of cereal crops, legumes, nuts, vegetables, and fruit. Seeds are generally defined as embryonic plants developing inside a protective outer covering called a seed coat. Planting materials such as cuttings are also included in the broad definition of “seed,” as they are used to grow varieties of many plants.

More than 65% of Africans depend on rain-fed agriculture for labour and livelihoods. These farmers produce about 80% of the food consumed by African families. Many African farmers face a variety of challenges to feed their families and sell produce at local markets. They can only seed when they ready access to sufficient quantities of high quality seeds that are well-adapted to local cropping patterns and local soils and climate. Small-scale African farmers currently obtain less than 10% of their seeds from the formal seed sector, with the remainder coming from saved seeds, local markets, friends and neighbours, and other traditional seed systems.

Why is this subject important to listeners?

What are some key facts?

Is there misinformation about this subject that I should cover?


https://scripts.farmradio.fm/radio-resource-packs/110-farm-radio-resource-pack/backgrounder-seeds-seed-breeding/ [1]