Gates Foundation in partnership with the Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS) has unveiled plans to establish a coordinated platform to enable farmers to get evidence -based data to improve seed selection and enhance productivity.

The 3-year project code name Using Performance Data to promote Better Seed Varieties in Nigeria (ProSeV) funded by Gates Foundation and implemented by FSSS aims to establish a national coordinated platform for post release crop varieties performance trials.

The platform will generate credible, farmer-relevant data to improve seed choices, productivity and resilience among smallholder farmers in the country.

The Executive Director of FSSS Dr Isaiah Gabriel in his opening remarks explained that ProSeV is a collective attempt to ensure farmers don’t plant seed based on assumptions but with data

He said “Across Nigeria, farmers are planting seeds every season, often based on hearsay, habit, or availability, not because those seeds are the best-performing options for their soil, climate, or market. When farmers are unsure, adoption slows. When adoption slows. productivity suffers. And when productivity suffers, the entire value chain feels the impact.”

“To change that story. It is about replacing guesswork with evidence, replacing assumptions with data, and ensuring that when a farmer asks, “Which variety works best for me?” There is a clear and trustworthy answer. As one farmer once said, “I don’t need the best seed in the world, I need the best seed for my land.”

Dr Gabriel mentioned that farmers’ perspective will form the crux of the initiative as they intend to work with seed companies’ extension systems that translate data into action, off-takers who reward quality and consistency, and farmers whose voices are not just heard, but respected.

He further explained that the project is focused on generating credible, location-specific performance data for rice, maize and cowpea to guide farmers, seed companies, extension services and policymakers.

He added that they will also conduct head-to-head performance trials of released and selected unreleased varieties across Nigeria’s six agroecological zones, covering at least 12 states.

Partnership and grants manager at FSSS, Eric Nyikwagh, said the project would begin with rice trials in its first year before expanding to maize and cowpea.

He explained that the initiative would work closely with national research institutions, regulators and seed companies, drawing from the national variety database to ensure transparency and credibility.

A rice value chain actor Peter Dana stated that the project will further make the country to become a global player in the rice value chain as farmers will be equipped with the knowledge of what, where and when to plant thereby leading to increased productivity.