PAVE: Partnership and Value Expansion (Phase 2)

Project description / objective

PAVE aims to create a more equitable seed system in Pakistan by training and building capacity of smallholder farmers as seed producers and entrepreneurs. 

• See also Phase I

Market system focus

Seeds

Despite smallholders making up 90 per cent of the overall farming community in Pakistan, they remain marginalised from mainstream agricultural value chains. Pave aims to:

• Improve the seed market system through capacity building of the smallholder farmers
• Strengthen local seed supply systems
• Building farmer expertise in networking with commercial seed players as supply partners for seed

Programme interventions

• Aggregation of farmers into Learning Alliances (farmer groups) and training them on quality seed production process for wheat, paddy and select vegetables.
• Research and Development (R&D) farms developed on farmer fields to demonstrate innovative farming techniques and seed multiplication process. Guiding farmers throughout the process and then signing agreements with farmers as suppliers of seed for Engro’s seed business. 
• Getting farmer seed plots inspected by the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCR&D). After approval from the government, Engro procures the seed from the farmers at a premium.
• Setting up seed multiplication plots with farmers and guiding them throughout the seed production process. 
• Training village based seed entrepreneur (VBSE) farmers on seed processing, grading and storage. Partnering with local agri-machinery producers to develop low-cost seed graders and sieves for entrepreneurs.
• Helping farmers establish revenue streams for their VBSE (seed sales and seed processing services).
• Guiding farmers on different channels for the marketing of seed. 
• Handholding of the VBSEs (male farmer-led and female farmer-led) to complete wheat and rice season cycles successfully and further enhance and improve VBSE’s working as a sustainable model while evolving it further for scale-up, replication and volume increase through financial inclusion.

[uploaded Feb. 2022]