Assessment of the effectiveness of maize seed assistance to vulnerable farm households in Zimbabwe

The publication describes outcomes of a study to assess the effectiveness of a large-scale crop seed relief effort in Zimbabwe during 2003-07. Aims of the effort, which was supported by the British Department for International Development (DfID) and coordinated by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) regional office in Harare, included broader diffusion of open-pollinated maize varieties (OPVs), as opposed to hybrids. Based on the findings of the study, the authors recommend that, to increase benefits to vulnerable groups, participants in such efforts should effectively disseminate information on selecting and recycling seed, supported by training and field demonstrations, and should target relatively well-endowed farmers initially. Recommendations also included promotion of OPVs by commercial seed companies and developing a simple, farmer-friendly system for naming varieties.