Nature-Positive Post-Harvest Seed Practices for Sustainable Community Seed Bank Development in Kenya

Abstract

Access to high-quality, affordable seeds is vital for farmers to improve yields, produce better crops, and enhance nutrition. This is especially true for farmer-preferred open-pollinated cultivars, which often lack systematic quality assurance from the formal seed sector. To address this, the ICARDA-ALIANCE seed component under the Nature-Positive Solutions-CGIAR initiative focuses on source seed production to support Community Seed Banks (CSBs) in multiplying and distributing these cultivars.

Modern breeding has advanced seed sector development, creating high-yielding varieties and hybrids. However, subsistence farmers often miss out on these benefits. Successful seed production requires maintaining variety identity, purity, good practices, and quality standards.

In Kenya, smallholder farmers in Western regions rely on informal seed sources, including farm-saved seeds and CSBs. These often lack quality assurance, leading to poor yields and lower incomes, exacerbated by erratic weather patterns like unpredictable rainfall and hailstorms.