The Kenyan maize seed sector exhibits high hybrid adoption rates, a growing number of seed companies, and an extensive agro-dealer network. Nonetheless, maize yields remain low and uptake of new, stress-tolerant varieties has been disappointing. This article investigates interactions in maize seed value chains in Kenya, and decisions made by agro-dealers, farmers, and seed companies, to gain a better understanding of how to encourage the uptake of new, stress-tolerant varieties. Data were collected during the 2019 seed-purchasing season from Kenyan seed companies (n = 8), agro-dealers (n = 80), and farmers immediately following their seed purchase (n = 466). Most agro-dealers had a wide offer of seed products available, but seed companies’ engagement with them was limited and marketing efforts were directly focused on farmers. Only a fraction of farmers used the agro-dealer environment to guide their decision-making. However, when agro-dealers engaged with farmers, they influenced varietal selection in 80% of the cases. Agro-dealers were one of the key information outlets about maize seed varieties. Seed company engagement with agro-dealers and in-store promotions (push marketing) should be further explored to improve returns on investments in seed systems.

中文翻译：

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坚持使用旧种子：投入价值链以及向小农玉米农民提供遗传收益的挑战


肯尼亚玉米种子行业表现出较高的混合采用率、越来越多的种子公司和广泛的农产品经销商网络。尽管如此，玉米单产仍然很低，而且新的抗逆品种的采用也令人失望。本文调查了肯尼亚玉米种子价值链中的相互作用以及农产品经销商、农民和种子公司做出的决策，以更好地了解如何鼓励采用新的耐压品种。数据是在 2019 年种子采购季从肯尼亚种子公司 (n = 8)、农产品经销商 (n = 80) 以及购买种子后立即进行的农民 (n = 466) 收集的。大多数农产品经销商提供多种种子产品，但种子公司与他们的接触有限，营销工作直接针对农民。只有一小部分农民利用农产品经销商环境来指导他们的决策。然而，当农产品经销商与农民接触时，他们在 80% 的情况下影响了品种选择。农产品经销商是有关玉米种子品种的主要信息渠道之一。应进一步探索种子公司与农产品经销商的合作以及店内促销（推式营销），以提高种子系统的投资回报。