Blog Enhancing sustainability of community seed banks through value addition

Community seed banks (CSBs) play a crucial role in conserving agricultural biodiversity, particularly in Africa where traditional seed varieties are at risk of being lost. CSBs have become pivotal in providing access to seeds for many smallholder farmers. They ensure that farmers have easy and affordable access to seeds that are well-adapted to local environmental conditions and cultural practices. This local availability enhances food and nutrition security and promotes agrobiodiversity.  

In the past five years, the Alliance has collaborated with international and national partners (including the International Treaty for Plant Genetic resources for Food and Agriculture), established three new community seed banks in western Kenya. The Nyando CSB, located in Kisumu county, was established in 2018; Vihiga Nutrition and Community seed bank was established in 2020; and Kabudi – Agoro Women’s seed bank was established in 2021. Together, they have served over 10,000 smallholder farmers in the region with over 88 genotypes of bean, cassava, cow pea, finger millet, green gram, groundnut, maize, pigeon pea, sorghum, sweet potato and traditional leafy vegetables.  

Despite this remarkable result, the CSBs still face numerous challenges that hinder their sustainability. They have struggled to develop viable business models that enable them to generate income while fulfilling their conservation goals. They often operate with limited financial resources, which can impede their ability to invest in infrastructure, equipment, and necessary training programs for sustainable operations.  They rely heavily on external funding, which may not be stable or sufficient to cover ongoing operational costs.  They also lack access to modern seed processing and storage technology, which has negatively impacted seed quality. Insufficient infrastructure, such as inadequate storage facilities, has led to seed deterioration and loss, compromising the viability of stored genetic resources.  

For the community seed banks to thrive and sustain their operations, it is essential to incorporate value addition strategies that enhance their economic viability and community impact. To make this happen, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT - in collaboration with the International Center for Agriculture in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), under the CGIAR’s Nature Positive Initiative and with co-funding from the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, and the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture - has supported three community seed banks in western Kenya in three crucial areas:  

• The construction of a processing unit for value addition of seed and grain;
• The acquisition of value adding equipment, including a thresher, seed cleaner, solar dryer and roller mill;
• Training and capacity development on various aspects of seed cleaning, seed processing and seed storage;
• Training and capacity development on value addition, currently going on at the Kenya Industrial Development and Research Institute in Kisumu. 

The launch of the processing facilities took place on 9-11 September 2024, where the communities were handed the brand-new processing facilities and equipment. The event was graced by officials from Kenya Agricultural Research Organization (KALRO); ICARDA; and the Ministers of Agriculture from the county governments of Vihiga and Kisumu.