Public and private institutional arrangements for early generation seed production: Cassava seed value chains in Southeast Asia

CONTEXT Early generation seed (EGS) production and delivery pathways are critical components of so-called formal seed systems, of principal importance in the release of improved varieties into national seed systems. Vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs), with clonal reproductive ability and considerable differences in production and dissemination patterns from sexually propagated crops, often challenge generalized assumptions about ‘business models’ for private sector-led EGS production. OBJECTIVE We evaluate production trends and institutional arrangements for early generation ‘seed’ (stem cutting) production in the Greater Mekong Subregion of Southeast Asia to compare models, stakeholders, production pathways, and economic efficiency. We systematically document three cases of formal EGS production underpinning this globally important agricultural commodity, and contextualize their development in regional cassava production trends. We then interrogate whether the observed models support common assumptions in contemporary debates about how VPC seed system development, in particular the logic of public and private participation. METHODS To contextualize EGS initiatives, we compiled district-level production data and processing factory locations from national sources across the Greater Mekong subregion, paired with data on varietal releases and international trade of cassava products. To evaluate institutional arrangements for cassava EGS production in this context, we conducted ten key informant interviews with stakeholders involved with three case studies in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Using a seed value chains framework, we compared institutional participation, seed multiplication practices, and partial budgets of each case. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The three cases represent diverse institutional arrangements that don't exhibit seed company-led, profit-motivated structures often recommended by experts. Despite the commercial nature of export-oriented Southeast Asian cassava products, public involvement remained central in cassava breeding and EGS delivery models, implemented via different actors and multiplication stages. Case histories and partial production budgets describe institutional arrangements with variable points of subsidy along the value chain, resulting in positive effects on varietal turnover and cassava production across the region. SIGNIFICANCE While private sector involvement was significant and variable, public involvement remains important, even for highly commercialized crops like cassava. Contrary to common assumptions, successful cassava EGS systems in Southeast Asia have initiated impressive impacts without pursuing conventionally profit-oriented seed business models. Value chain approaches reveal backing EGS yields tangible downstream benefits, but for VPCs additional innovations are required to ensure benefits support the sustainability of expensive upstream multiplication stages. Approaches considering institutional participation along seed and product value chains can identify mechanisms for doing so beyond conventional seed commercialization.