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The Community of Practice of Seed Security Assessments for the Horn of Africa

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Subject:
From:
Joseph Mokorondere <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
The Community of Practice of Seed Security Assessments for the Horn of Africa <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 13 Aug 2014 13:42:44 +0300
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The Community of Practice of Seed Security Assessments for the Horn of 

Africa





Please, I am glad that you have taken up this important and seed 

challenging topic on-line discussion. It is good that I am just a day old, 

from a recent field post distribution monitoring conducted on groundnut 

seeds distributed this year by ICRC at outreach villages in South Sudan. 

One of the responses got on the groundnut variety was “the seeds were 

viable but shrivelled not sorted out and after germination plant vigor 

raises eye brows by most farmers because some  groundnut plants show 

weaker performance on some spots randomly compared to others growing 

vigorously”(groundnut plants are not growing uniformly).



a). Varietal suitability:

The unsuitability issue of varieties deliverable inform of seed aid is 

absolutely true however, I can say;  seed aid workers cannot exclusively 

be held responsible for the faulty seed intervention because this result 

as effects of mistakes along the seed value chain. The plant breeders, 

quality control, formal seed sector drivers (development drivers and 

enterprise) deeply contribute. 

1.      Formal seed research stations and other breeders always 

disseminate sky high information on new improved seeds that is not fully 

captured at all levels of the seed value chain. There is need to 

administer and make sure similar simplified information understandable 

made to different segment  along the seed value chain

2.      Seed quality control sectors in some cases manipulate (for their 

interest) realities about a particular seed security to attract clients. 

Experience showed that seed quarantine is no longer effective because of 

weaker supervision from a designated sector. Although people are aware, 

there is need for an increased awareness on paramount importance of seeds 

as compared to food because quality food crop seeds produce quality 

lifesaving food 



b). Seed security assessment:

Some readers may definitely concur with me and others disagree because 

they think seed insecurity can be based on single response of affected 

population/what they tell “we do not have crop seeds”. For proper seed 

security assessment, such statement indicate needs for  thoroughly seeds 

security assessment for better understanding of the seeds concept of a 

particular area where the crisis/disaster affected population then seeds 

strategies developed for seed intervention



c). Accountability to the affected population:

When I take scenario from South Sudan, the humanitarian actors on seed 

related intervention is top-down approach. A seed policy framework in 

South Sudan is still on draft (not officially recognized) and mapping of 

seed variety occurrences in particular livelihood zone generally not 

addressed clearly. 

Majority of humanitarian actors’ seed security intervention are too 

ambitious that they consider huge number of households that satisfy donor 

mandate. The choice of seed types, seed varieties are actually based on 

seed accessibility at international or local markets not supporting the 

views of affected population.

The only solution for humanitarian actors to involve the affected 

population in planning seed security project intervention at 

administrative area clusters.









Regards,







Joseph Faustino Mokorondere

Agro Field Officer

The International Committee of the Red Cross

Ministry Road Amarat  Juba, South Sudan

Mobile: +211 (0) 956332711

[log in to unmask]


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