Strengthening Community Seed Banks and Agrobiodiversity Conservation

The Catholic Diocese of Same, through the Rural Farmers Integrated Project (RFIP), funded by MISEREOR (Germany), is supporting communities to strengthen local seed systems and promote the conservation of agricultural biodiversity.

As part of this initiative, training on community seed banks has been extended to 12 sub-villages across Kifula, Kileo, Mgagao, and Usangi wards in Mwanga District. A community seed bank is a system established by farmers or community groups to collect, produce, preserve, and manage locally adapted seeds, helping prevent the loss of important indigenous crop varieties.

The initiative has also encouraged farmers to actively participate in the production and preservation of indigenous seeds. Through the program, farmers have been supported with different indigenous seed varieties, including five types of maize and bean varieties. These varieties have demonstrated promising performance, particularly in irrigated farming areas.

The community seed bank approach is contributing to stronger local seed systems, improved access to quality indigenous seeds, and the conservation of agrobiodiversity. It also empowers farmers to maintain and share crop varieties that are well adapted to their local environment.

Through RFIP, the Catholic Diocese of Same continues to work with farming communities to promote sustainable agriculture, strengthen farmers’ resilience, and safeguard valuable indigenous crop varieties for present and future generations.