In areas affected by disasters such as drought and war, recovering agricultural activity quickly is vital to household food security. Relief seed aid, which replaces seeds lost during disasters, is important to ensure that farmers have adequate quantities of quality seeds of the right variety for the planting season following a disaster.

Relief seed approaches to assist agriculture recovery in Africa have traditionally relied on formal seed systems, such as seeds provided by large seed companies. For example, relief seed approaches in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Malawi focus on maize seeds, an important commercial crop in these countries. Governments, donors and non-governmental organisations have supported formal relief seed strategies that provide farmers with commercial seeds, believing that informal farmer-based relief seed systems fail after disasters; seeds are unavailable, inaccessible (often too expensive) or of low quality.

However, using seeds from the commercial sector has several problems, including poor seed quality, late delivery and inappropriate varieties. Furthermore, maize seed aid has not been effective in increasing seed system resilience, questioning the effectiveness of commercial relief seed aid. 

Recent research from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), USA shows that informal relief seed aid using existing farmer seed systems can form the basis of an efficient and effective relief seed approach. Farmer-based relief seed approaches are common in countries without a significant commercial seed system, such as Burundi, or countries where the commercial focus is a small niche market, such as Ethiopia. In particular, evidence from the CRS Seed Vouchers & Fairs (SF&V) demonstrates the effectiveness of farmer-centred approaches to seed aid. SV&F allow small farmers to access local seed markets and inject large amounts of cash into local economies, which is invested in agriculture and health care.

Evidence from Burundi and Malawi shows:

• Farmer seed systems are resilient and remain the main channel through which farmers obtain seeds.
• The SV&F respond to relief needs in a timely and efficient manner that is widely accepted by communities.
• The SV&F approach reinforces farmer knowledge of seed systems by letting them decide which varieties to use in times of stress.
• The approach provides farmers with continued access to seed through local sellers they know and whose quality they trust.

Informal farmer relief seed systems are an important source of seeds for many small farmers; evidence increasingly shows this remains true during times of crisis following disasters. Policymakers should dedicate more resources to using these informal systems for seed aid relief where appropriate. The research recommends:

• Relief seed aid for maize growers should continue to rely on formal seed systems. However, maize should not be distributed in areas that are inappropriate for this crop.
• Commercial companies should distribute a larger variety of seeds to relief markets.
• It is important to build links between formal and informal seed systems to allow farmers to access a wide range of seed varieties, maintain variety and improve seed quality.

Source(s):
‘Using Markets in Disaster Response: CRS Seed Vouchers and Fairs’, CSR East Africa, Nairobi, by P. Bramel, T. Remington and M. McNeil (eds.), 2004

Funded by: United States Agency for International Development, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance

id21 Research Highlight: 11 November 2005

Further Information:
Tom Remington
Catholic Relief Services
East Africa Regional Office
Rank Xerox House 2nd Floor, Westlands
P.O Box 49675 – 00100
Nairobi
Kenya

Tel: +254 (0) 20 3750788
Fax: + 254 (0) 20 3741356
Contact the contributor: tremington@crsearo.org

Catholic Relief Services, USA

Other related links:
'Farmers and plant breeders: an essential partnership for poverty reduction'

'Acacias to the rescue – how acacia trees can tackle food shortages in Africa'

'Fighting hunger with free agricultural inputs: the experience of Starter Packs in Malawi'

'Sowing the seeds of recovery: a new approach to agricultural rehabilitation'

Seed and Planting Material Development, FAO