From the original article published on https://cessa.agra.org/
In February 2026, I participated in the Accelerated Varietal Turnover for Open Pollinated Crops (ACCELERATE) Project annual planning meeting in Arusha, Tanzania. The ACCELERATE Project, supported by the Gates Foundation is led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT through the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA). The project focuses on developing scalable approaches to speed up the adoption and turnover of improved varieties of common beans, sorghum, and groundnuts, working closely with CIMMYT, TARI, TOSCI, and key value chain partners.
What stood out was not just the progress made, but a clear shift in how seed systems can be designed to work by putting market demand at the centre.
For years, seed systems have largely been driven by supplying improved crop varieties and working to push them to smallholder farmers. This approach has not worked for legumes and small cereals. The ACCELERATE Project offers a different approach: a demand-led, market- driven model where adoption begins with the understanding of variety market and flows back through the seed system.
At the heart of this model are grain traders, aggregators and processors. Traditionally seen as end-point actors, they are now playing a much more influential role. They define the grain qualities required by the market, signal demand for specific varieties, and actively engage farmers to produce what the market needs. In doing so, they create a powerful incentive for farmers to demand, plant and adopt improved market-demand varieties not because they are told to, but because they are required to access reliable markets.
But their role goes even further. Traders and processors are investing in the system by:
1. Providing input credit, mechanization services and reducing farmer risk
2. Offering training and extension support
3. Linking farmers to quality seed sources
4. Supporting awareness and promotion of improved varieties
This integrated role is helping to align incentives across the value chain, ensuring that smallholder farmers, seed producers, and buyers are all working toward the same goal, producing market-preferred crop varieties at scale. The results are already visible. There has been a steady increase in seed production across key crops such as beans, groundnuts, and sorghum.
Most importantly, older varieties are being replaced faster by newer varieties, farmers and market-preferred ones, demonstrating real progress in varietal turnover; one of the biggest challenges in seed systems across Africa.
Another key enabler has been the use of digital tools and multi-stakeholder platforms. Simple but effective solutions such as WhatsApp groups and digital tracking platforms are improving communication, coordination, and business efficiency among actors. These tools help ensure that the right information reaches the right people at the right time, strengthening both demand and supply.
The experience from Tanzania reinforces an important lesson: seed systems function best when they are demand-driven but supported by strong supply systems. While market demand is critical, it must be matched with the availability of quality seed of the preferred varieties. This underscores the continued importance of investing in early generation seed systems and strengthening public-private collaboration. There are also challenges to address. Capacity gaps among farmers, traders, and seed actors, limited access to reliable data, and inconsistent availability of preferred seed remain constraints. However, these are not barriers; they are opportunities for targeted investment and system strengthening.
What makes this model particularly compelling is its scalability and relevance beyond Tanzania. There are already plans to expand it to other crops and countries, and the lessons are highly aligned with AGRA-CESSA’s strategic direction of promoting private sector–driven, market-led, and publicly enabled seed systems. The ACCELERATE project experience shows that when market demand is effectively harnessed, it can become the engine that drives seed systems, adoption, innovation, and multiple impacts. For CESSA and its partners, this presents a practical and proven pathway to accelerate varietal turnover, improve farmer incomes, and strengthen food systems across Africa.
The key takeaway is clear: when farmers produce for the market, and the seed system responds to that demand, adoption follows.
The author, Bruce Mutari, is a Seed Production Specialist at AGRA