Empowered women lead seed security in Western Kenya and crop diversification
Women, who account for approximately 80% of Kenya’s agricultural labour force, lead the Kabudi-Agoro Seed Bank. A group of 25 women now conserves over 100 varieties of indigenous, climate-adapted seeds, including 69 bean varieties and 18 sorghum varieties.
Seed Security, Women’s Leadership, and Biodiversity Conservation
Resilient landscapes depend on resilient seed systems. In Nyakach, the Kabudi-Agoro Seed Bank, managed by a women’s group, forms a critical component of the local innovation bundle.
What changed:
- Women-led conservation: Women, who account for approximately 80% of Kenya’s agricultural labour force, lead the seed bank. A group of 25 women now conserves over 100 varieties of indigenous, climate-adapted seeds, including 69 bean varieties and 18 sorghum varieties.
- Nutrition and value addition: The group processes harvested crops into composite flours and traditional nutritious foods, contributing to improved dietary diversity and household nutrition—key MFL objectives.
- Policy breakthrough: A landmark legal ruling has affirmed farmers’ rights to share and sell protected indigenous seeds, strengthening enabling institutions and removing a critical barrier to farmer-managed seed systems.
Together, these outcomes link biodiversity conservation, women’s economic empowerment, and supportive policy reform into a single, reinforcing system.
Scaling results across living landscapes
The Nyakach experience is not a standalone success, but a practical demonstration of the MFL’s Living Landscapes approach - where farmers, researchers, policymakers, and private-sector actors co-design and test integrated solutions under real-world conditions. Building on these results, the Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program aims to achieve the following by 2030:
- Reach 2 million farmers across 15 countries with bundled, farm-level solutions.
- Restore 4 million hectares of degraded land.
- Conserve over 98% of agrobiodiversity in targeted landscapes.
The Nyakach case shows that multifunctional landscapes deliver more than environmental benefits. By combining land pooling, indigenous seed systems, women’s leadership, and enabling policies, innovation bundles are transforming degraded land into productive assets—reducing conflict, improving incomes, and strengthening food and nutrition security. As the Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program scales these integrated solutions, it offers a clear pathway toward resilient landscapes that work for both people and the planet—within planetary boundaries.
Land pooling in Nyakach, Kenya, transformed fragmented, underused plots into a collectively managed 52-acre farm. This enabled farmers to diversify crops, moving beyond subsistence farming to include higher-value options like dairy goats, poultry, and fish. The resulting crop diversification created a steady market for the community seedbank, which conserves over 100 indigenous, climate-adapted seed varieties. This synergy not only boosts productivity and livelihoods but also strengthens seed security and supports women-led conservation efforts, linking environmental restoration with economic opportunity.
Read related article: https://www.kenyanews.go.ke/empowering-womens-seed-banks-a-booster-to-food-security/
Authors: Ojanji, Wandera. and Masso, Cargele