USAID, AGRA Team Up on Seeds and Technologies in $47 Mln Partnership
28 June 2013 
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) announced the Scaling Seeds and Technologies Partnership, a $47 million, three-year partnership intended to accelerate smallholder farmer access to transformative agricultural technologies.
By helping African farmers access improved seeds, inputs, and complementary technologies, the Scaling Seeds and Technologies Partnership helps boost agricultural productivity, food security, and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa.
The partnership will work in four countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, and Tanzania – where it will help governments strengthen their seed sectors and promote the commercialization, distribution and adoption of improved seeds and other key technologies, USAID said. The goal is to increase production of high-quality seeds by 45% in three years and ensure that 40% more farmers gain access to innovative agricultural technologies.
“The Scaling Seeds and Technologies Partnership will help strengthen seed sectors, including regulatory systems, and create new local seed companies, ensuring that game-changing technologies can reach and improve the lives of millions of smallholders,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.
USAID said that by strengthening seed and input sectors, the partnership’s efforts “will leverage technology’s tremendous potential to spur agricultural growth in Africa, which in turn can catalyze broad-based economic growth, improve smallholder incomes, and reduce hunger, poverty and stunting in children.”
AGRA President Jane Karuku added: “We have seen great progress in the development of seeds and other agricultural technologies in recent years. Crucially, these are seeds that are suited to Africa’s soil, weather and needs – they hold tremendous promise for Africa’s smallholder farmers. AGRA has been working with our partners across the continent: We have supplied 57,000 metric tons of seeds and released over 300 improved seed varieties. This partnership with USAID will enable us to scale up this work and ensure that even more smallholder farmers can benefit from these extraordinary technologies.”
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