The African Seed Access Index

What The African Seed Access Index does

The African Seed Access Index (TASAI) is a US-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and formally launched as TASAI Inc. in October 2019, headquartered in Ithaca, New York. The organization produces standardized country-level assessments of African seed industries using a proprietary 22-indicator methodology organized across five thematic areas: Research and Development, Industry Competitiveness, Seed Policy and Regulations, Institutional Support, and Service to Smallholder Farmers. Each country study focuses on four grain and legume crops deemed important for national food and nutritional security, with primary data collected by a network of close to 50 in-country seed industry experts across 25 countries and validated through stakeholder workshops with ministries of agriculture, regulators, seed trade associations, and seed companies.

TASAI's core products comprise the TASAI Dashboard (an interactive data visualization tool with Country Dashboard, Cross-country Dashboard, and Data Summary components), biennial Country Reports, country-specific Seed Info Portals, the Seed Sector Performance Index (SSPI) Report launched in October 2024, a Seed News aggregation service refreshed multiple times per week, and supplementary publications. The underlying technology stack uses KoboCollect for field data collection, Metabase for data validation and analysis, and a custom web dashboard for public access. Outputs are distributed globally via the tasai.org website and regionally through in-person dissemination workshops hosted with local partners.

TASAI serves three horizontal customer segments: public sector policy makers, regulators, and law enforcement agencies (ministries of agriculture, seed inspection services, agricultural research institutions); private sector seed companies and value chain players; and development agencies including NGOs. The organization operates as a grant-funded nonprofit with no commercial monetization layer — all outputs are publicly accessible at no cost. Funding derives from institutional donors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the African Development Bank (including via the TAAT II project), USAID, UK Aid, AGRA, and Gatsby Africa, with strategic and technology partnerships alongside the African Union Commission, Cornell University's Emerging Markets program, Development Gateway, and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation. Geographic coverage spans at least 20 African countries including Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Niger, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Angola, Senegal, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mali, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Somalia.

Name

The African Seed Access Index

Legal name

TASAI Inc.

Website

https://tasai.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TASAI is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces standardized country-level assessments of African seed sectors using a 22-indicator methodology, serving public sector policymakers, seed companies, and development agencies across 20+ African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Assistance, Policy Lending & Capacity Building Programs (BPADACAN), ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

Keywords

• Seed sector assessment
• Agricultural data analytics
• Seed industry research
• Agricultural policy research
• Seed system indicators

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Donations: TASAI Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization coordinated to provide country-level assessments of seed industries in Africa. Funding comes from foundations, development banks, and government aid agencies including Gates Foundation, African Development Bank, USAID, and UK Aid.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TASAI is a nonprofit research initiative that conducts country-level assessments of African seed sectors using 22 standardized indicators across 5 areas: Research and Development, Industry Competitiveness, Seed Policy and Regulations, Institutional Support, and Service to Smallholder Farmers. Its outputs include an interactive TASAI Dashboard, biennial Country Reports, country-specific Seed Info Portals, and a Seed News feed — delivered free of charge to public sector policymakers, private seed companies, and development agencies operating in Africa.

Product overview

TASAI (The African Seed Access Index) offers a portfolio of research and data products focused on African seed sector assessment. The core offering consists of the TASAI Dashboard—an interactive data platform with Country Dashboard, Cross-country Dashboard, and Data Summary components—complemented by Country Reports (biennial detailed country studies) and Seed Info Portals (country-specific information repositories with Seed News aggregation). The products work together to provide comprehensive seed sector intelligence for public policy makers, private seed companies, and development agencies across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TASAI Dashboard Interactive online platform that allows policymakers, researchers, seed companies, and development agencies to explore TASAI's African seed sector data by country, year, or via cross-country comparisons through dynamic charts, tables, and dashboards.
• TASAI Country Reports Detailed written country-level assessments of seed sector structure and performance, published biennially for each country studied. Each report focuses on four grain and legume crops important for national food and nutritional security and is based on data collected by in-country researchers and validated through stakeholder workshops.
• Seed Info Portals Country-by-country information portals with up-to-date seed sector information, lists of public and private seed industry players, links to relevant policy documents, and aggregated Seed News content refreshed multiple times per week.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enables measurement of Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, and Quality of seed systems

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Seed Systems GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeed Systems Group is a past and present partner collaborating with TASAI on seed sector development initiatives.
• Development GatewaycoreTechnology or IntegrationDevelopment Gateway provides technology infrastructure support for TASAI's data collection and dissemination platforms.
• African Union CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican Union Commission collaborates with TASAI on seed policy harmonization and continental seed sector initiatives.
• Adam Smith InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdam Smith International is a past and present partner supporting TASAI projects including market development work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell University (through its Emerging Markets program) is a strategic partner providing academic oversight and research collaboration. TASAI's Chief Scientific Advisor is a Research Professor at Cornell's Department of Global Development.
• Agri ExperienceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAgri Experience is a past and present partner providing agricultural consulting expertise for TASAI initiatives.
• Gatsby AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGatsby Africa is a past and present partner supporting TASAI's work in Africa.
• African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAATF is a partner under the TAAT II Policy Compact, collaborating with TASAI on seed sector performance assessments in African countries.
• Market Matters Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarket Matters Inc. is a US-based development organization that is a past and present partner supporting TASAI's Africa operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ReSAKSS (Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System): Africa-wide knowledge and data platform supporting CAADP agricultural policy implementation with comparable indicator-based country monitoring; overlapping methodology and audience of African policymakers, donors, and researchers.
• Market Matters Inc. US-based small development organization supporting TASAI's Africa operations and where TASAI's Executive Director previously served as COO; highly comparable in scale and mission of supporting African agribusiness market development.

Direct peers

• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): Africa-headquartered organization working to improve seed systems, input markets, and policy environments for smallholder farmers; a TASAI financial partner and an active producer and consumer of seed sector intelligence across the same African countries TASAI studies.
• African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF): Nairobi-based nonprofit that facilitates access to agricultural technologies including improved seed varieties across Africa; collaborates with TASAI under the TAAT II Policy Compact and shares a common focus on seed policy, regulatory environment, and smallholder outcomes.
• Access to Seeds Foundation: Amsterdam-based foundation that publishes the Access to Seeds Index evaluating seed company performance in supporting smallholder farmer access to quality seed in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Most direct conceptual peer — both build standardized indices comparing seed sector performance across developing countries to drive accountability.
• ISSD Africa (Integrated Seed Sector Development): Africa-wide program that combines formal and informal seed system development, working on seed policy, sector analysis, and capacity building with strong overlap to TASAI's R&D, policy, and service-to-smallholder indicators.
• Seed Systems Group: Core TASAI partner organization focused on building more efficient, sustainable, and inclusive seed systems in developing countries; directly comparable mission and operating geography with overlapping policy and smallholder focus.

Broad incumbents

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): UN agency producing global and country-level seed sector statistics, policy guidance, and assessments; broader in mandate but the dominant multilateral source of seed sector data and a potential substitute for TASAI's benchmarking role.
• CGIAR / CGIAR Standing Panel on Impact Assessment: Global agricultural research consortium whose centers (IITA, ICRISAT, CIMMYT, etc.) conduct crop-specific seed and varietal research across Africa; broader in scope than TASAI but a major producer of underlying seed-sector evidence and potential data partner/competitor.

Others

• African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA): Continental private-sector industry association representing African seed companies and a key convener (AFSTA Congress) that TASAI regularly attends; a stakeholder and data conduit rather than a direct competitor, but its member companies are direct users of TASAI outputs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TASAIndex
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8gSPyveERBG5E7bmM3T37Q/videos?app=desktop
• Facebookfacebook.com/tasaindex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-african-seed-access-index
• Instagraminstagram.com/tasaindex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The African Seed Access Index