Seed Provision and Agricultural Development: The Institutions of Rural Change

Robert Tripp. Seed Provision and Agricultural Development: The Institutions of Rural Change. London: Overseas Development Institute/Oxford: James Currey/Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 2001. viii + 174 pp. Tables. Notes. References. Index. $64.00. Cloth.

The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive overview of the nature of seed provision, a topic the author, Robert Tripp, situates at the forefront of contemporary debates on rural development in the global south. Tripp astutely links this topic to larger theoretical discussions by using "seed provision as a lens through which to examine the broader subject of agricultural development" (2). More specifically, "the book examines how the institutions of seed provision developed in industrial economies and assesses the performance of contemporary seed institutions in the South" (10). A major thesis of the volume is that efficient information exchange is required for development of the seed sector and that institutions (rules and organizations) are important for facilitating such exchange. While the author frequently uses examples from the African continent (particularly Anglophone Africa), he explores seed provision and agricultural development in a variety of contexts (Africa, Latin America, Asia). Although the study engages theory, it is written in straightforward prose, employing academic jargon only where it is helpful and when it has been explained.

The book is organized into eight chapters. The first offers an introduction and a discussion of agricultural development. In the second chapter, the author argues for a focus on institutions and incentives as a way to approach the study of agricultural development. Tripp suggests a pragmatic combination of new institutional economics and new economic sociology in order to do this. In chapter 3 he reviews the factors that motivate a farmer's selection of seeds and crop varieties, and the biological aspects of plant breeding and seed production. Chapter 4 describes the organization of farm-level seed provision, including farmers' seed management and selection of crop varieties, seed flows among farmers, and the problem of imperfect information. The evolution of the commercial seed sector is described in chapter 5. As farm level and commercial seed systems expand, the government often becomes involved in tasks that are difficult to organize independently. This public-sector involvement in seed systems is assessed in chapter 6. Donor and government interventions, particularly seed development projects, are discussed in chapter 7. Finally, chapter 8 summarizes the book's findings and makes suggestions for seed system development.

Even if the subject of seed provision is of limited interest, this book is worth reading for a number of reasons. First, the author exploits theory creatively to elucidate real world problems (rather than using theory for theory's sake). For example, Tripp's use of transaction costs, the knowledge required for successful commercial interactions, is helpful for understanding the failure of many seed provision projects. A second strength of the volume is its focus on institutions, which Tripp defines broadly as organizations, rules, and regulations. The author argues effectively that "institutions that mediate the flow of information [should] help determine the course of agricultural development" (135). Finally, Tripp's thoughtful and balanced critique of seed provision projects is refreshing, given that many authors, especially those who are skeptical of the entire development enterprise, often brush over such analysis.

Despite the aforementioned strengths, this reviewer noted a few shortcomings of the volume. First, while the author demonstrates a healthy skepticism toward the neoliberal agenda in the agricultural sector (e.g., privatization, deregulation), he articulates a fairly narrow vision of agricultural development, characterized by the inevitable specialization and commercialization of agriculture. Alternative visions of agricultural development that emphasize small-scale subsistence farming are dismissed as overly optimistic or naïve (see e.g., p. 148). My second concern, which is related to the first, is a failure to acknowledge environmental problems that may be associated with modern agricultural development. Finally, there is an under-recognition of the extent to which the state in Africa colludes with global capital to promote selectively those seeds and crops for which they stand to reap monetary gain. While the public sector traditionally intervenes where commercial interests have little to gain, the extension services of cash-strapped African governments frequently emphasize crops for which there is an export market and potential tax revenues.

Overall, this is an insightful and informative book that would be appropriate as a secondary text for upper-level undergraduate and for graduate courses on rural development and agricultural change. It also would be excellent reading for development practitioners working in the agricultural sector.