As an emerging innovation, hybrid potato breeding raises high expectations about faster variety development and clean true potato seed as a new source of planting material. Hybrid breeding could, therefore, substantially contribute to global food security and other major sustainable development goals. However, its success will not only depend on the performance of hybrid potato in the field, but also on a range of complex and dynamic system conditions. This article is based on a multidisciplinary project in which we have studied the innovation dynamics of hybrid potato breeding and explored how these dynamics may shape the future of hybrid potato. Inspired by the approach of responsible innovation, we closely involved key players in the Dutch and international potato sector and other relevant actors in thinking about these potato futures. An important and recurrent theme in our work is the tension between the predominant commercial innovation dynamics in plant breeding and promises to respond to the global challenges of food security, agrobiodiversity and climate change. In this article, we, therefore, discuss responsible innovation strategies in (hybrid) potato breeding, which may help to bridge this tension and finally reflect on the implications for the field of plant breeding in general.

This book describes the potential impact of the innovative hybrid breeding technology in potato. Conventional potato production is based on cumbersome breeding and multiplying of seed tubers. Seed ...

The circulation of low-quality agricultural inputs remains a persistent concern in sub-Saharan Africa, with important implications for farmer investment and market development. In vegetable seed systems, where private actors play a central role, information asymmetries and weak enforcement mechanisms create uncertainty about product quality at the point of sale. This article examines how trust operates at the last mile of vegetable seed distribution in northern Nigeria, focusing on how signals of seed quality shape farmers’ sourcing decisions. It centres primarily on tomato, which is the dominant commercial vegetable crop. A qualitative research design was employed using framework analysis, drawing on focus group discussions with vegetable farmers and interviews with agrodealers. The findings showed that farmers relied on a combination of product signals (such as packaging, branding and labelling) and agrodealer characteristics (including social capital, knowledge, shop outlook and accountability) when making purchasing decisions. Trust developed gradually through repeated interactions, and agrodealers played a broader role beyond input provision by offering credit, information and tailored services. Overall, the results suggest that vegetable seed markets are not purely transactional but are shaped by social relationships and learning processes. Strengthening seed system performance therefore requires attention to the last mile of distribution, including supporting agrodealers in maintaining quality and reliability, as well as enhancing farmers’ ability to interpret product signals.