Public-private partnerships, innovation and industry growth: The MasAgro Seed Consortium in Mexico

Objectives

  1. Complement secondary data available for the analysis of the maize seed industry in Mexico
  2. Conduct semi-structured interviews with key actors involved in the maize seed industry and the MasAgro project.
  3. Develop a research protocol for the analysis of agro-dealers in scaling improved maize seeds from MasAgro
  4. Participate in the analysis and write up of a paper of MasAgro seed companies, their limitations and strategies to increase seed production and distribution.

Work expectations

  • Full dataset for analysis of the maize seed industry in Mexico
  • Fully describe the MasAgro maize seed value chain: changes and innovations, limitations and challenges
  • Research protocol for the analysis of agro-dealers role in scaling improved maize seeds from MasAgro
  • Draft paper of seed producing businesses in Mexico

Activities

 

Presentation of the PhD project to project leaders and research staff in CIMM

Revise questionnaire for interviews with key actors in the maize seed industry - with research staff in CIMMYT
Start secondary data collection from local sources
   Maize production - SIAP
   Maize seed production statistics - SNICS
   Variety release and foundation seed production figures – INIFAP

Revise questionnaire for interviews with key actors in the maize seed industry - with supervisors in U of Reading
Continue secondary data collection from local sources

Interview with INIFAP highlands breeders and seed production specialists in Mexico state:
  1. Gustavo Velazquez - Highlands maize breeder/INIFAP Maize program director
  Juan Virgen Vargas - Seed systems specialist
Assemble secondary data for the analysis of the maize seed industry

Interviews with seed companies’ representatives in Morelos:
     2. Rafael Padilla Padilla - Agrícola El Caudillo
Continue to assemble secondary data for the analysis of the maize seed industry

Interviews with seed companies’ representatives in Oaxaca:
     3. Humberto Castro García - Semillas Reycoll and subtropical maize breeder UACH
Continue to assemble secondary data for the analysis of the maize seed industry

 

Interviews with INIFAP tropical breeders and seed production specialists in Veracruz:
     4. Mauro Sierra - Tropical maize breeder
            Flavio Rodríguez - Seed systems specialist
Interviews with seed companies’ representatives in Puebla:
     5. Aarón De La Rosa Garcilazo - Nutri Best

Interviews with seed companies’ representatives in Mexico state:
     6.
Juan Carlos Villaverde

Synthesize information from firsts interviews

Interviews with INIFAP research, innovation and marketing office in CDMX:
     7. Manuel García García - Director of Research, Innovation and Marketing Office
Interviews with representatives of the ministry of Agriculture in CDMX:
     8.
Omar Mussalem and Francisco Mayorga

Interview with INIFAP subtropical breeders and seed production specialists in Jalisco:
     9. Jose Luis Ramírez - Subtropical maize breeder
          Santiago Ruiz Ramírez - Seed systems specialist
Interviews with seed companies’ representatives in Jalisco:
     10.
Oscar Alejandro Rivas Aguilera - Semillas Rica

Interviews with seed companies’ representatives in Colima:
     11. Maximo Santos Santos - Semillas Proseso
Interviews with United Mexican Seed Producers (SEMOAC) in Querétaro:
     12. Manuel Aurelio Razura Mendoza - SEMOAC Executive director

Interviews with CIMMYT breeders and seed system specialists in Texcoco Mexico state:
     13. Felix San Vicente - Tropical maize breeder
     14. José Luis Torres - Highlands maize breeder
     15.
Alberto Chassaigne - Maize seed systems specialist

Analize data from interviews:
Describe in detail the maize seed system before MasAgro, its problems and limitations
Identify the incentives of seed firms for participating/not participating in MasAgro
Describe the system with MasAgro, main changes and innovations, limitations and challenges

Required skills

Good interview, analysis and writing skills