Blog Growing resilience from the ground up: Kisumu launches Pap Kadundo Integrated Community Seedbank

On 27 March 2026, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, in partnership with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), the County Government of Kisumu, and Seed Savers Network, officially launched the Pap Kadundo Integrated Community Seed Bank in Central Seme, Kisumu. This milestone has been achieved under the FAO-funded Benefit Sharing Project on Enabling and Scaling Farmer Managed Seed Systems for Climate Change Adaptation in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, as well as the Biodiversity for Resilient Ecosystems in Agricultural Landscapes (B-REAL) project within the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes Program.

The integrated community seed bank includes an ex-situ conservation unit, which stores seeds of diverse crop groups, including cereals such as finger millet, sorghum, and local traditional maize varieties; legumes such as beans, cowpeas, Bambara groundnuts, and pigeon peas; and African leafy vegetables such as black nightshade and jute mallow.

It also includes an in-situ collection and multiplication unit for a diversity of sweet potato, cassava, and cocoyam varieties, both local and improved. These planting materials were cleaned and multiplied by KALRO at the in-situ multiplication station established within the community seed bank.

In addition, the seed bank hosts a tree nursery with both local and improved tree seedlings for distribution to the community.

By combining seed conservation, vegetative propagation, and tree seedling production in one local institution, integrated community seedbanks can support several landscape functions at once. They help conserve agrobiodiversity, improve access to locally adapted planting material, diversify diets, strengthen agroforestry, and supply restoration efforts with tree seedlings and resilient crops. In largely rain-fed systems, this kind of diversification is especially valuable because it spreads risk across crops, species, and production niches while improving the ecological health of farms and surrounding landscapes.

Women bear a disproportionate burden of seed insecurity, often facing major barriers to accessing seed, including limited financial resources and the long distances between farms and input shops. For many women, seed banking is important not only because it brings them together, but also because it offers practical solutions for strengthening both food and seed systems.

Recognizing this, the Alliance places gender inclusion at the center of its work, acknowledging that resilient food systems can only be fully realized when women are empowered. One of the most inspiring examples is the Kabudi Agoro Community Seed Bank, which was founded by 25 women determined to tackle seed insecurity in their community.

The Alliance also underscores that women are the backbone of sustainable seed systems. As custodians of biodiversity, stewards of household nutrition, and drivers of resilient food systems, their role is fundamental. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Africa Managing Director at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, stresses that investing in women is essential for securing the future of food.

Youth are equally important to the future of agriculture and food systems. Eli Owiti, a young farmer, notes that learning seed saving at an early stage is critical at a time when climate change is affecting everyone. He highlights that building resilience and responding to climate change must be a shared responsibility, because every seed carries the promise of a more resilient tomorrow.