Trek through home decor stores these days and you’ll probably see goods from around the world — India, the Far East, South America. And Africa. Just as fashion houses like Celine, McQueen ...

More than 350 delegates from governments, research institutions and seed production companies are gathering in Kenya this week to address challenges in getting good-quality seeds to African farmers.

But on one continent, it never quite happened. African farmers still tend to use open-pollinated seeds held back from the previous year’s crop or commercial hybrids that were developed years ago.