Development and Promotion of an Informal and Formal Seed System Through Farmer Participatory Seed Production of Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajanL.) in Uttar Pradesh, India

Pigeonpea is a major pulse crop in India. However, its productivity, which hovers around 700 kg ha−1, has remained stagnant over the past several decades. Local landraces dominate the cultivation of pigeonpea in the country. A major reason for low productivity in pigeonpea is the nonavailability of quality seed of improved varieties to farmers. In this article, we share experiences of farmer-participatory pigeonpea seed production in Fatehpur and Kanpur Dehat districts in Uttar Pradesh in India. Through farmer-participatory varietal selection trials, farmers identified NA 1, long-duration pigeonpea variety and UPAS 120, short-duration variety, as their preferred choices. Long-duration variety NA 1 was preferred because of its disease resistance, higher yield, attractive seed size and color. Farmers were organized to form cooperative societies to undertake seed production, processing and marketing at the local level. Societies were also linked with the public sector seed producing agencies to participate in the formal seed production program. The C: B ratio of seed production of NA 1 variety was 1: 5.19 as compared to 1: 2.53 of the local variety. Village-level seed production not only addressed the issue of shortage of quality seeds but also brought higher incomes to farmers leading to improved livelihood.