Community-based seed systems increases access/availability of high-quality adapted seeds for 189,000 farmers in East Africa

Abstract

CCAFS-East Africa and Alliance Bioversity-CIAT partnered with national research institutions to establish community seed-banks for storage and multiplication of diverse resilient high-quality seeds adapted to local climatic conditions reaching 189,000 farmers in East Africa. About 107,000 farmers in Kenya and Uganda access seeds through seed-banks, another 82,000 potato farmers in Kenya are using web-based SMS platform for disseminating information on resilient seeds and ware. In Tanzania, CCAFS and International Potato Centre are undertaking trials and multiplication of adapted potato varieties.