Kenya: Farmers Using Community Seed Banks to Fight Climate Change

Members of the Nyando community seed bank had a common trial farm where they grew varieties of beans, sorghum and millet. Although this concept is yet to be adopted in Kenya legally and as a way of life, establishment of community seed banks is a good start towards OSSS. Additionally, two seed fairs were in this region, which gave farmers an opportunity to showcase different varieties of sorghum, millet and beans that have been tried and found suitable for the region in the wake of the effects of climate change. Most of the seeds showcased during the fairs were tried under the open seed source system (OSSS) project, funded under the Food and Agriculture (FAO)'s Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The programme has been facilitated by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Centre for Tropial Agriculture (The Alliance) in Western Kenya since 2016.