The Importance of Slow Project Growth (or, "Slow and Low, That is the Tempo")

As part of my summer internship requirements, I am submitting regular (weekly-ish) updates to my program. I thought I would post them here as well (and file them under Reflections). The first is below, and for more on Seeds of Life and its mission check out their site here.

Just over a week into my time with Seeds of Life in Timor-Leste, and what impresses me most is the speed of the program’s implementation: slow. It is slow and methodical… We are now in the third 5-year phase of the program that aims to create a sustainable supply of high-quality, high-performing seed for the major food crops. The first phase focused almost entirely on research, introducing and rigorously testing various varieties in research stations throughout the country. The program also emphasized increasing the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) staff to do this research themselves. The second phase continued these tests, but also began on-farm trials to demonstrate to farmers, NGOs, private enterprises, and others the seed quality and the advantages over existing varieties (in some case, 50% increases, with no inputs used). The third phase continues to build upon the earlier two, expanding the “formal” seed production into a contract-farmer system for producing certified and tested high-quality seed, while also expanding to farmers’ groups to produce “informal” seed for their own (and their community’s) use. Along the way, MAF workers have grown with the program. Seeds of Life is a respected brand, and its slow yet deliberate build-up has created good-will with farmers. Seeds of Life began as a small research program with a specific aim of improving seed security and a small national footprint; now it is considering business training and input options (like fertilizer) and continues to slowly expand its national footprint. The result is a program run by staff, foreign and Timorese, who dedicate themselves to the mission of improving food security. The other result is a program that has an effect beyond seed production, including policy issues. Last week a new project (beef cattle) team came to the office to learn from Seeds of Life, and our main researcher was asking them why they were not starting bigger than their five-village pilot study. The new team’s answer (paraphrased), “Because we want to emulate Seeds of Life: start small and focused, and grow to a well-rounded and complete food security intervention.”