SeedCast-Tanzania

One of the interventions of strengthening the rice seed system in Tanzania, is to minimizing variance between seed demand and supply of improved rice varieties. IRRI in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Presidents Office - Local governments authorities, private and public partners has devised a digital solution where demand data for rice varieties are correctly accumulated and help supply to be efficiently executed. This system can potentially substitute existing practice of manually estimating demand which often doesn’t reflect the correct scenario and because of which supply of demanded varieties are often misled and improperly planned. This shortcoming weakens the whole supply chain system for rice varieties in the country. Against this backdrop, this mobile based application envisages to plug these loopholes and capacitate all key actors in the seed chain in terms of better supply planning. Apart from rationalizing demand and supply of rice seeds—this app provides users an opportunity to know about availability of high yielding varieties with different dealers, varietal information, recommendation and management practices of major high yielding varieties. Besides, ward and district wise pattern and trend of different varietal demand are auto-generated which acts as an important decision support system for the government in the efforts of making seeds available adequately and in a time bound manner to the farmers. Seed dealers across the country can easily and quickly find markets and exchange seed stocks, farmers can also quickly locate and contact dealers within their vicinities whenever they need seeds, a factor which will solve the problem of carrying over of seeds to the next season which is usually bring losses to seed dealers and companies. As of now, this app allows seed ward extensionists to aggregate demand for different varieties collected by village extensionists who meet farmers face to face, but in future, it will be upgraded and operationalized in such way that even individual farmer will be able to record their demand for next season and aggregated demand will be collected by ward extensionists from farmers directly. Farmers, dealers, and government officials with login credentials can use this app different ways directed toward boosting rice seed system in the country.