Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) Plus The ISSD Plus project runs from 2016 to 2020 and builds on the previous ISSD project (2012-2016). It operates in the East, South Western Highlands (Kigezi area), Western Highlands (Rwenzori area), South Western, Northern Zone and also has a presence in the West Nile zone agro-ecological zone. The project implements its activities through teams in the Zonal Agricultural Research and Development institutes (ZARDIs) of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO). The ZARDIs involved in the project include; Buginyanya ZARDI for the East; Rwebitaba ZARDI for the Rwenzori area; Mbarara ZARDI for the South West and South Western Highlands; Ngetta ZARDI for the North and West Nile zone. The overall goal of the project is to contribute to increased incomes of smallholder farmer households and improved household food and nutrition security. Special attention is given to women and youth in increasing income. The project goal will be realized through increased productivity of field and vegetable crops (Intermediate Result). For field crops, increased productivity provides increased income and improved food security through existing and growing markets. The productivity increase results from the increased use of quality seed by small and medium-scale farmers (component 1). Quality seed use will be promoted through publicity and demonstration campaigns and proximity marketing efforts. Proximity marketing focuses on increasing farmers’ access to seed close to areas they easily reach. To satisfy the increasing quality seed demand, local seed businesses (LSBs) are supported to produce and market Quality Declared Seed (component 2). This means in practice that the project scales the LSB approach based on the experiences of the previous ISSD Uganda project (2012-2016). To assure that LSBs are able to perform well, their access to early generation seed is being improved (component 3). The ISSD Plus project has a specific objective on vegetable sector development (component 4). In the vegetable sector, the access to EGS is not an issue, as vegetable seed companies have privately bred varieties integrating EGS into their commercial seed production chain. The project is therefore intervening to improve the access of vegetable producers to high quality seed and seedlings, through the introduction of improved varieties and improving farmers’ skills in vegetable production. By training vegetable growers, they will become able to take advantage of high quality seed and seedlings, and increase their productivity (Intermediate Result). Small and medium-scale farmers are the ultimate beneficiaries. The expectation is that some 300,000 households will increase productivity, income and resilience, based on the assumption that these farmers will increase productivity from the use of quality seed for crop production. A specific focus is given to gender and youth. Direct beneficiaries are the Local Seed Business (LSB) members and by the end of the project some 7500 LSB members are expected to have benefited from the production and marketing of Quality Declared Seed (QDS), in terms of increased productivity and income. In addition to this, some 100 vegetable sector professionals will be trained as trainers (TOT), and some 20,000 small holder farmers in will be trained in good vegetable production, using quality vegetable seed of advanced varieties. Four vegetable seed companies will also directly benefit from the project, since they will be given a grant for developing demonstration plots. A specific focus is given to gender and youth under project implementation.