|
 As
also reported in the previous Annual Report, SANSOR became involved
in an initiative conducted under the auspices of Broadening
Agricultural Services and Extension Delivery (BASED), a project of
the Northern Province Department of Agriculture and Environment
(NPDAE), launched to address the inadequacy of adaptive research and
service delivery to smallholders. The main aim of the project was to
ensure that smallholder farmers had adequate access to quality
seeds, starting with the open pollinated maize (OPM) varieties ZM
521 and Grace. One of the prerequisites of the project
was that the smallholders themselves were to be involved in the
production and dissemination of the seed.To achieve this aim
within the legal framework pertaining to seed, several pioneering
actions were taken, which included:
- The smallholder farmers conducted on-farm trials and selected
two of the improved OPM varieties, namely ZM 521 and
Grace. These varieties were then submitted for official
variety listing by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), who
would also be responsible for the maintenance of the relevant
varieties.
- The registration at the Department of Agriculture of
Madzivhandila College of Agriculture (MCA) as a seed
establishment. MCA would clean, treat and pack (in 2kg containers)
the seed produced by the smallholders and return it to them. The
smallholders would then sell this prepacked seed to their
neighbours and other communities.
- As the two preferred OPM varieties were to be listed on Table
8 of the Plant Improvement Act, 1976 (Act 53 of 1976) for
mandatory certification, MCA needed to align their enterprise for
certification. This was achieved by:
- The acceptance of MCA as member of SANSOR in February 2003,
thus clearing the way for the authorization of inspectors.
- Five extension officers enrolled at the Technikon Pretoria
for the SANSOR Training Programme for Seed Inspectors. Two have
already completed the course successfully, while the other
three, as well as new candidates continued with the theoretical
training. Practical training started during 2002 and the first
inspectors would probably be authorized during the 2003/2004
season.
- Two seed production units of ZM 521, one at MCA and one
at a smallholder farmer, were registered under the provisions of
the South African Seed Certification Scheme. Technical Officers of
the SANSOR secretariat conducted the field inspections and at the
same time provided practical training to the trainee inspectors.
The first seed lot was subsequently certified.
Planning was also underway to extend the project to other regions
in the Limpopo Province, involving the Agricultural Colleges in the
area. |
