Opportunities for vegetable seed production in Wallonia

This Master thesis aims to shed light on the seed sector in Wallonia, and more specifically on the production of open-pollinated seeds pf vegetable varieties.

The research allowed to identify the technical and economic models as well as the associated barriers and levers. During the 2022 season, two surveys, in the form of semi-directed interviews, were carried out with professionals having a wide understanding of the sector, as well as with  farmers multiplying open-pollinated vegetables varieties for the Belgian seed companies « Cycle en Terre » and « Semailles »

Based on the information collected, the main results are as follows: (i) a conceptual framework for the combination of vegetable production and seed multiplication, (ii) a summary of the operations for seed multiplication, (iii) a typology identifying three main technical and economic models, (iv) the barriers and levers to the development of the multiplication of vegetable seeds open-populations in Wallonia.

The results provide leads to conclusions that allow current and future players to have a base of information and to position themselves in relation to current models.