Ugandan Farmers Kick Off Seed Systems Caravan 2023 To Improve Nutrition, Food Security & Income

By Frank Kamuntu

Ugandan farmers on Monday 25th September 2023 kicked off Managed Seed Systems Caravan 2023, an initiative aimed at strengthening farmer-managed seed systems for improved nutrition, food security, and income.

https://x.com/pelum_uganda/status/1706644080048984560?s=20

This kicked off at PELUM Uganda offices in Ntinda in support of other NGOs like OXFAM Uganda, Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF), and partnering organizations: Community Empowerment for Rural Development (CEFORD), Community Integrated Development Initiatives (CIDI), and International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR).

According to organizers, this program will run through September 29, 2023, in the districts of Nebbi, Adjumani, Apac, Omoro, and Soroti.

PELUM Uganda’s Country Coordinator, Josephine Akia Luyimbazi, explained that the caravan aims to foster knowledge exchange, practical sharing, showcasing of best practices, and dialogue. The program will bring together a diverse group of participants such as farmer field school members, community seed banks, agricultural institutions, government officials, plant breeders, media, and other key seed sector stakeholders. The program will also involve youth and women in the Seed Diversity for Household Nutrition and Food Security (SD-HS) project.

The caravan will feature a variety of interactive sessions, including press conferences, field visits, mentoring sessions, youth boot camps, and policy dialogue. The discussions will focus on policy recommendations for strengthening farmer-managed seed systems and improving agricultural biodiversity, resilience, and productivity.

PELUM Uganda’s Head of Programs, Joshua Aijuka, mentioned that the caravan provides an opportunity for experiential learning, dialogue, and policy integration, especially around farmer variety registration and seed system management. The initiative is also designed to build partnerships among stakeholders and ensure the long-term sustainability of the SD-HS project.

Aijuka emphasized that Uganda’s 2018 seed policy recognizes both formal and informal seed systems and introduces a new seed class, Quality Declared Seed (QDS). This policy allows registered farmers to produce and market Quality Declared seeds, making the seed caravan a strategic contribution towards the implementation of the National Seed policy.

Charles Opio, OXFAM Uganda Resilience and Livelihood Manager, added that OXFAM Uganda, in partnership with ESAFF Uganda and PELUM Uganda, is launching a complementary seed policy initiative. This will provide platforms for cross-learning, knowledge sharing, and policy integration, ultimately strengthening farmer-managed seed systems.

The caravan will culminate with a policy dialogue on September 29, 2023, in the Gulu district. This final event will involve experiential learning, showcasing and exhibition of success stories and seed value chain, media engagement, and policy discussions.

PELUM Uganda, a part of the broader PELUM Association, is a network of over 280 civil society organizations from 12 African countries working to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and the sustainability of farming communities through ecological land use management. Since its inception in 1995, PELUM Uganda has grown to include 71 member organizations operating in 122 districts and reaching approximately three million smallholder farmers.

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