Developing SIBIMA: A Digital Innovation Infrastructure for Collaborative Hybrid Maize Breeding and Community-Based Seed Systems

Abstract

The increasing complexity of collaborative hybrid maize breeding and community-based seed production systems has created substantial challenges related to information management, communication, transparency, knowledge exchange, licensing administration, and institutional coordination. Conventional coordination mechanisms frequently become inadequate when innovation processes involve multiple actors operating across geographically dispersed locations and diverse institutional environments. This study aimed to develop the Seed Information System for Community-Based Seed Management (SIBIMA) as a digital innovation infrastructure designed to strengthen collaborative breeding and community-based seed systems. A qualitative case study approach combined with a design-oriented research perspective was employed to examine the experiences of CorresCo and its collaborative network. Data were collected through direct observation, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis. Data analysis involved data reduction, categorization, triangulation, and thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns associated with collaboration, knowledge exchange, institutional development, and digital transformation. The findings indicate that increasing levels of collaboration simultaneously increase the complexity of coordination processes, thereby creating challenges associated with information exchange, traceability, transparency, and collective decision-making. In response to these challenges, SIBIMA was developed as an integrated framework encompassing breeding management, production management, knowledge management, and institutional management. The proposed framework functions not merely as an information management system but as a digital innovation infrastructure that supports communication, collective learning, licensing administration, and community empowerment. This study contributes to the advancement of agricultural innovation system theory by integrating technological, organizational, and institutional dimensions within a community-based seed system while offering a practical framework for strengthening seed sovereignty and promoting sustainable agricultural development.