Sustaining seed banks through value addition: Launching the Nyantonzi Community Seed Bank in Uganda
Uganda’s new Nyantonzi Community Seed Bank combines conservation with business, empowering farmers to safeguard traditional crops while processing them into profitable, nutritious products to build climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
- climate change
- Gender and climate
Sustaining seed banks through value addition: Launching the Nyantonzi Community Seed Bank in Uganda
Uganda’s new Nyantonzi Community Seed Bank combines conservation with business, empowering farmers to safeguard traditional crops while processing them into profitable, nutritious products to build climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
In Africa, where indigenous crop varieties are increasingly vulnerable, Community Seed Banks (CSBs) have emerged as a crucial safeguard for agricultural biodiversity. These institutions have provided smallholder farmers with access to seeds that are well-adapted to local environments and cultural practices. This access point improves food security and sustains agricultural biodiversity for future generations.
Since 2018, the Alliance has partnered with national and international organizations to found two CSBs in western Uganda: Hoima Community Seed Bank (2018) and Nyantonzi Community Seed Bank (2024). So far, their collections include 90 varieties of beans, finger millet, sorghum, maize, groundnut and traditional leafy vegetables (TLVs).
Despite this good result, the CSBs continue to face obstacles to become sustainable. One challenge is to develop a viable business model that allows them to generate income while achieving their conservational goals. Another challenge is the lack of access to modern seed processing and storage technology which has had a detrimental effect on the quality of the seeds.