IITA and Rwanda Agriculture Board join forces to advance maize seed systems

Rwanda's agricultural transformation has prioritized improving seed systems to enhance food security and farmer livelihoods. The reliance on seed importation is gradually decreasing, with more efforts focusing on local seed production. The Rwanda hybrid maize seed industry is still young, facing challenges, like limited skills, land scarcity, climate change, outbreaks of pests and diseases, and low farmers' awareness about the benefits of hybrid maize seed varieties, as many continue to grow open-pollinated, comparatively less productive varieties. These issues adversely affect seed quality, yield, and competitiveness in the market.

To help address these bottlenecks, IITA-CGIAR conducted a training on hybrid maize seed production for eight field technicians and two senior officers from the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), through a learning visit to IITA breeding and research facilities for knowledge sharing and better collaborative research endeavors.

The training took place in Nigeria at IITA headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo State and Ikenne station, Ogun State, where participants were exposed to the latest technologies in developing and maintaining parent lines of hybrid maize seed. The participants were shown the importance of maintaining the genetic purity of parent lines, which forms the basis for hybrid maize seed quality. They also learnt key practices such as proper isolation distance, strict roguing, timely detasseling, proper harvesting, seed processing, and storage that contribute to the overall seed quality.

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