INNOVATION

Our Innovation

One of our values is to invest in people, new products, and embrace new ways of doing business as our key to maintain a high performance culture and self-renewal. The innovation behind our products is as a result of a collaborative research approach with Development organisations, national and international research institutions, commercial and Non-governmental organisations. 

We are committed to providing innovative solutions to the long-term needs of our farming communities. institutions, commercial and Non-governmental organizations. We are committed to providing innovative solutions to the long-term needs of our farming communities.

Core Research and Development Activities

  • Variety Development and Commercialisation: Focused on cereals, legumes, and small grains with climate resilience traits.
  • Trial Evaluations: Multi-location performance evaluations for varietal release readiness.
  • Maintenance and Breeder Seed Multiplication: Ensuring genetic purity and consistent quality of foundation seed.
  • Crop Development and Registration: Supporting variety release through the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI) protocols.

  • Morphological and DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity, Stability) Evaluations for varietal identity confirmation.

  • Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) mechanisms using molecular markers to ensure seed purity and consistency.

Research and Development Focus

Afriseed’s Research and Development unit plays a critical role in the company’s mission to enhance food security through climate-smart seed innovation. The company focuses on developing and commercialising resilient, high-yielding seed varieties tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers across diverse agro-ecological zones.

We exist simply because a farmer exists. Therefore, farmer’s needs, preferences and goals define our present and future research focus. Recent introductions on the market include Orange (Vitamin A) Maize hybrids, Zinc fortified and disease tolerant bean varieties, as well as shorter maturing Groundnut varieties.

Climate Smart Seeds Varieties

Having worked with farmers for more than 7 years now, our research focus is to continue seeking innovative farming practices and developing seeds that will sustainably address productivity, nutrition, tolerance to diseases and pests and adaptability to the prevailing weather patterns. We are conducting trials in water efficient maize hybrids for all the three Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZ) of Zambia and the regional. Suitability trials for new farming areas are also being done. These seeds are intended to address issues of yield, nutrient content, and tolerance to pests and adaptability to climate change

Our Partnerships

Afriseed leverages a robust network of international, regional, and local research institutions to drive innovation and ensure relevance of its products. Notable partnerships include:

CIMMYT

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center: Access to advanced germplasm for climate-resilient maize varieties.

IITA

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture: Collaboration on legumes and small grains research for regional adaptation.

ZARI

Zambia Agriculture Research Institute: Local partnership to co-develop and adapt seed technologies for national release.

Universities

Support in research trials, technical expertise, and early-stage talent development.