Dialogue on maize seeds: Are smallholder farmers’ voices heard in building climate-resilient food systems?

Introduction From April 3 to 5, 2025, I was very fortunate to attend the scientific days organized by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Lubumbashi, under the theme “Food Diversifica­tion and Agricultural Innovation as a Foundation for Food Independence in Haut-Katanga Prov­ince” (translated from the original title in French as shown in Figure 1). Two distinctive features made this event par­ticularly interesting. First, it brought together key stakehold­ers in local food systems, including offi­cials from the local agriculture inspectorate, scien­tists, agronomy stu­dents, farmer organizations, and major certified suppliers of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and seeds. Second, the event’s location at the Kasapa Experimental Farm of the University of Lubumbashi added special relevance. At this site, various improved seed varieties of maize, beans, and soybeans—provided by seed stakehold­ers such as UNILU, Seed Co, and AFriseed—are cur­rently being tested (see Figure 2). The objective of these trials is to evaluate the agronomic perfor­mance and adaptability of improved crop varieties under local environmental conditions, in order to select the best ones to introduce to farmers. . . .