Infrastructure has enabled farmers in four rural communities to become seed producers.

Certified crop seeds with high genetic quality have a positive impact on agricultural productivity, increasing yields per hectare and reducing losses due to pests, diseases, or inclement weather. For this reason, the National Institute for Agrarian Innovation (INIA) of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI) promotes and encourages strategies that seek to increase the availability of high-value seeds for producers.

One of these activities focuses on the implementation of demonstration plots in rural communities, where INIA specialists transfer agricultural knowledge, technologies, and methodologies so that producers can increase the quality of seeds that will allow them to improve the competitiveness of their respective value chains, thereby benefiting their family economy.

In this regard, in Ayacucho, INIA—through the Canaá Agricultural Experimental Station, as part of the PROSEM seed project—has successfully established 30 demonstration plots in the provinces of Huamanga, Cangallo, Churcampa, Huanta, La Mar, Sucre, Víctor Fajardo, and Vilcas Huamán between 2023 and 2024. The goal is to boost the productivity of these hectares, preserve the quality of agricultural soil, and reach the market with highly competitive crops.

With the implementation of this agricultural infrastructure, INIA has provided technical assistance and technology transfer services, enabling more than 120 small and medium-sized farmers in the rural communities of Quihuarcancha, Vinchos, San Francisco de Rayan, and Vilcas Huamán to receive SENASA recognition and certification as seed producers.

This is undoubtedly a great benefit for producers, as they will now be the ones generating, on their demonstration plots, high-value seeds from the potato, purple corn, corn, forage oats, barley, and wheat value chains. These seeds will provide highly competitive crops that generate economic returns, as they can triple their market price.

To train seed producers, INIA has transferred knowledge and methodologies focused on the generation of high-value seeds, conservation of genetic resources, preservation of agricultural soil quality, soil analysis, organic fertilizer production, pest control, and other technologies.

The transfer of these technologies has already yielded its first results. Applying INIA techniques, seed producers have managed to produce the first 2,250 kilos of high-quality basic Yungay potato seeds. This pest-free genetic material will allow for the multiplication of more quality seeds to meet the agricultural needs of Ayacucho’s rural communities.

Through the PROSEM seed project, INIA has been promoting agricultural research, innovation, and technology transfer to improve the genetic quality of crop seeds and, thereby, enable producers to develop profitable and sustainable agricultural activities.