The vast majority of the population (about 56%) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) lives in the rural areas and depends on agriculture as a livelihood (Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database, 2017). The DRC has significant potential for agricultural development as the country has more land (235 million hectares) than Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia combined. Of this amount, about 80 million hectares (30% of the total country landmass) is suitable for farming, of which only about 10% is currently farmed. Good quality seeds of improved crop varieties are a foundation for increased crop yields/production. While some commercial farmers import certified seeds from neighboring countries, the vast majority of small-scale farmers continue to use seeds saved from the previous harvest, by themselves or their neighbors, or buy grain from the market and use it as seed. At present, approximately 5% of DRC’s seed requirement is met by the formal seed sector, while 95% is supplied by informal channels. The DRC’s seed industry is under developed, and the government is engaged in efforts to improve the quality of seed available for farmers.

The African Seed Access Index (TASAI) study was commissioned by Market Matters Inc. in 2017. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the enabling environment for the seed industry in the DRC in 2017, using the TASAI framework that measures performance on 20 key indicators. Specifically, the study evaluates four main staple food crops — maize, rice, beans and soya beans — and analyzes the following aspects of DRC’s seed sector: research and development, industry competitiveness, seed policy and regulations, institutional support and service to smallholder farmers.