National Planning & Coordination

National Planning and Coordination (NPC) refers to whether or not a country’s Ministry of Agriculture has a coordinated team or unit in place, with senior Ministry representation, that is focused on sustainable seed sector development and growth. Impact on agriculture transformation will be achieved faster by well-planned and well-coordinated efforts to build government institutions that regulate, communicate, and coordinate with the private sector to build systems that improve access to, and the sustainability of, input and output markets. The strength of planning and coordination can be measured through evidence on the types and levels of communication that takes place between the public and private sectors, the use of data to inform decision-making, and the perspectives of public institutions and private companies on the strength and their trust in the cooperation that results.

A sound seed system sustains and reinforces national agriculture through a higher productivity growth rate. An envisioned healthy system is whereby evidence of market dynamics informs national seed sector planning through strong public and private leadership; and when management decisions align varietal development with segmented market demand (product profiles) and better value propositions for farmers, processors, and consumers. African nations have made CAADP Malabo commitments to make public investments equal to 10% of AgGDP to achieve agricultural transformation with an 8% annual sector growth rate.

Translation of these political commitments into policy, policy into strategy, and strategy into seed plans and operations aligned with seed archetypes requires:
  • Clear identification of roles, responsibilities and investment levels for public institutions in seed systems;
  • Clear identification of the role of private sector seed companies and seed distributors;
  • Adequate data on demand trends, supply trends, and formal sales of quality assured seed of crop varieties to inform advance planning for 3-4 year pipelines of EGS and annually adjusted quality assured seed needs
  • Allocation of public budgets and staff to perform planning and coordination functions;
  • Seed trade associations with strong leadership and value-added propositions for members;
  • Clear and open channels of communication for public-private sector dialogue;
  • Effective and efficient management of seed subsidies, when necessary, and not for political reasons, using the SMART framework, including a defined exit strategy
Basis of comparison: . Mature seed systems provide benchmarks on the nature and the strength of public, private, and joint public-private planning and coordination.