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Ethio-Seed Digital Platform: TAAT Facilitates National Seed Sector Modernisation Efforts
Ethiopia’s seed sector requires timely, reliable and coordinated information to support effective planning, production and delivery of quality seed. Yet, seed-sector institutions often operate with fragmented data on seed demand, production plans, variety registration, seed availability, inventory, distribution and reporting.
These information gaps can limit coordination among institutions and delay decisions needed to ensure that farmers have access to quality seed at the right time.
To address this challenge, the Ethiopian Seed Platform, known as Ethio-Seed, was developed as a national digital solution to strengthen seed-sector coordination, transparency, and evidence-based decision-making.
The platform integrates key seed-sector functions into a single system, enabling users to manage seed demand forecasting, production planning, variety registration, seed inventory, distribution, and reporting more efficiently.
Following its development, testing, and pilot implementation, Ethio-Seed is now ready to enter regular national use.
The pilot phase involved relevant federal and regional institutions and provided an opportunity to test the platform’s functions, incorporate user feedback and make the adjustments needed for wider deployment.
The experience gained has created a strong foundation for institutionalising the platform under Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture.
To support this transition, the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), through its Wheat Compact led by the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), is organising a training course on the Ethio-Seed Digital Platform from 12 to 14 August 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Ministry of Agriculture will participate as the principal national partner, alongside CGIAR centres and other national seed-sector institutions. The activity will support the transition of the platform from a development and pilot initiative to a nationally owned and sustainably managed digital system.
The Ethio-Seed Digital Platform was developed by CGIAR centres (ICARDA, ABC and ILRI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Addis Ababa University.
This institutionalisation process will also engage Regional Agricultural Bureaus, regional research institutes, public seed enterprises, the Ethiopian Seed Association, private seed companies and other seed-sector stakeholders.
This activity will strengthen the capacity of national and regional users to operate and support the Ethio-Seed Digital Platform. It will also contribute to the formal transfer of the platform, source code, databases, technical documentation and user manuals to the Ministry of Agriculture.
In addition, the initiative will clarify responsibilities for system administration, data updating and technical support, helping to ensure the platform’s continued use by national seed-sector institutions.
The institutionalisation process will include a National Training of Trainers programme, a formal handover ceremony and a regional roll-out and knowledge-sharing workshop. The Training of Trainers will prepare selected representatives to use the platform and provide further support within their institutions.
The handover ceremony will establish national ownership and confirm the Ministry of Agriculture’s responsibility for the platform’s long-term management.
The regional workshop will provide a space to share Ethiopia’s experience and discuss how similar digital approaches can be adapted to strengthen seed systems in other African countries.
According to Dr Wuletaw Tadesse Degu, the TAAT wheat compact leader, “By mainstreaming Ethio-Seed into Ethiopia’s national seed-sector transformation, TAAT is supporting stronger planning, improved coordination and more transparent seed-system management.”
“The initiative will also position Ethiopia’s experience as a practical model for advancing digital seed systems across Africa.” Dr Degu added.
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