The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy process
IntroductionExternal conditionalities have shaped public policy development in borrowing nations. This has been through top-down policy support programs, an example being the policy reforms under the structural adjustment program. Under the seed sector reforms Malawi committed to the Southern Africa...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.891116/full |
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| author | Henry G. Hunga Henry G. Hunga Levison Chiwaula Wapulumuka Mulwafu Mangani Katundu |
| author_facet | Henry G. Hunga Henry G. Hunga Levison Chiwaula Wapulumuka Mulwafu Mangani Katundu |
| author_sort | Henry G. Hunga |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionExternal conditionalities have shaped public policy development in borrowing nations. This has been through top-down policy support programs, an example being the policy reforms under the structural adjustment program. Under the seed sector reforms Malawi committed to the Southern Africa Development Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa harmonized seed regulations technical agreements.MethodsTo contribute to the debate, we analyzed the Malawi seed sector policy process by investigating three questions: What were the leading events? Who were the stakeholders involved, and their roles? Which factors influenced the policy process? Qualitative tools were employed based on policy process theory using the Kaleidoscope Model. We used stakeholder inception, planning, feedback workshops, and key informant interviews (N = 17). This data was complemented by grey literature as secondary information. Snowball sampling was used to identify key informant interview participants based on the saturation principle. Narrative analysis focusing on content, structure, and dialogic context was used.ResultsOur results show a strong external influence on the seed sector policy process. This began after independence when development partners supported the establishment of the public agricultural research system to improve production for food security and export. Failure to achieve the earlier objectives resulted in economic reforms aimed at private sector-led seed sector development based on market-oriented policies. The increase in the private sector's role called for adopting and enacting regulatory policies and legislation that used policy transfer theory. International financial institutions, multinational companies, and regional economic communities led this process. Our evidence suggests that the civil society community in Malawi contested the policies for not recognizing farmers' rights. This affected the domestication process of the harmonized seed regulations technical agreements.DiscussionTherefore, we recommend critical consideration and embracing of existing domestic social, political, and technical conditions to support economic policy reforms. This would help reduce unintended consequences and improve inclusivity. Governments may need to play an interlocutory role for the various actors in the policy domain during the domestication process. |
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| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:16:24Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
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| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-956ee63765ea4ca4a2c3471e86d7b4402023-03-02T06:45:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2023-03-01710.3389/fsufs.2023.891116891116The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy processHenry G. Hunga0Henry G. Hunga1Levison Chiwaula2Wapulumuka Mulwafu3Mangani Katundu4Faculty of Social Science, The University of Malawi, Zomba, MalawiDepartment of Land Resources Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Lilongwe, MalawiDepartment of Economics, The University of Malawi, Zomba, MalawiVice Chancellor's Office, Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, MalawiDepartment of Human Ecology, The University of Malawi, Zomba, MalawiIntroductionExternal conditionalities have shaped public policy development in borrowing nations. This has been through top-down policy support programs, an example being the policy reforms under the structural adjustment program. Under the seed sector reforms Malawi committed to the Southern Africa Development Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa harmonized seed regulations technical agreements.MethodsTo contribute to the debate, we analyzed the Malawi seed sector policy process by investigating three questions: What were the leading events? Who were the stakeholders involved, and their roles? Which factors influenced the policy process? Qualitative tools were employed based on policy process theory using the Kaleidoscope Model. We used stakeholder inception, planning, feedback workshops, and key informant interviews (N = 17). This data was complemented by grey literature as secondary information. Snowball sampling was used to identify key informant interview participants based on the saturation principle. Narrative analysis focusing on content, structure, and dialogic context was used.ResultsOur results show a strong external influence on the seed sector policy process. This began after independence when development partners supported the establishment of the public agricultural research system to improve production for food security and export. Failure to achieve the earlier objectives resulted in economic reforms aimed at private sector-led seed sector development based on market-oriented policies. The increase in the private sector's role called for adopting and enacting regulatory policies and legislation that used policy transfer theory. International financial institutions, multinational companies, and regional economic communities led this process. Our evidence suggests that the civil society community in Malawi contested the policies for not recognizing farmers' rights. This affected the domestication process of the harmonized seed regulations technical agreements.DiscussionTherefore, we recommend critical consideration and embracing of existing domestic social, political, and technical conditions to support economic policy reforms. This would help reduce unintended consequences and improve inclusivity. Governments may need to play an interlocutory role for the various actors in the policy domain during the domestication process.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.891116/fullconditionalityseed systempolicy transferregional economic communityKaleidoscope Modeldomestication |
| spellingShingle | Henry G. Hunga Henry G. Hunga Levison Chiwaula Wapulumuka Mulwafu Mangani Katundu The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy process Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems conditionality seed system policy transfer regional economic community Kaleidoscope Model domestication |
| title | The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy process |
| title_full | The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy process |
| title_fullStr | The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy process |
| title_full_unstemmed | The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy process |
| title_short | The seed sector development in low-income countries: Lessons from the Malawi seed sector policy process |
| title_sort | seed sector development in low income countries lessons from the malawi seed sector policy process |
| topic | conditionality seed system policy transfer regional economic community Kaleidoscope Model domestication |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.891116/full |
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