Market Intelligence insights for groundnut breeding and seed systems in Tanzania

The CGIAR Initiative on Market Intelligence provides data, information and insights to inform decisions that will prioritize and align investment in breeding pipelines and seed systems. These investments aim to maximize contributions to the five CGIAR Impact Areas: poverty reduction, food and nutrition security, gender and youth inclusion, climate adaptation and environmental protection.

Over the past decades, varieties derived from CGIAR germplasm have helped provide food for hundreds of millions living in harsh and vulnerable environments. However, the capacity to deliver increased benefits from crop breeding will depend on effective strategies to address the stubbornly slow rate of uptake of improved varieties. Meeting the challenge will require, among other inputs, deeper insights on the evolving preferences and requirements of farmers, processors and consumers. In short, breeding will need to be led more by demand.

Key to the success of demand-led breeding will be the availability of reliable and timely intelligence on the current and future preferences and requirements of farmers, processors and consumers. Although ‘market intelligence’ has existed in various forms in CGIAR’s social science research agenda, an opportunity exists for increased relevance based on shared approaches and tools and new partnerships, both within CGIAR and between CGIAR and its partners.