International seed companies invest heavily in marketing to enhance their seed sales, while African seed companies invest relatively little. Scoping work conducted in 2021 identified a lack of compelling evidence connecting marketing to driving sales. The SMIA program aims to generate this evidence and then share it with African SME seed companies, national seed trade associations, and public institutions like extension services for them to consider when designing programs to promote the uptake of improved seed varieties. Resourced manages the program, which will be carried out in Kenya and Uganda from 2023 to 2025.
Improved evidence on the effectiveness of innovative marketing tools and strategies that increase the adoption of new varieties (seed sales) and varietal turnover in Africa.