Dear Joseph,


Thanks for the updates after a long silence the year. I would also to share my ideas about the discussion points raised. Briefly I do understand the term ACUTE SEED INSECURITY  and CHRONIC SEED INSECURITY as follows:
The Acute Seed Insecurity follows a disaster outcome generally crop growers’ needs for essential seeds no longer covered. The affected community or affected household has no means of producing seeds any longer. The essential seeds not accessible or available to ensure subsistence so, requires seed aid interventions to refresh seed stock sustainably and facilitate resumed seeds production.  

The Chronic Seed Insecurity persistently community needs for essential seeds are insufficiently covered and acute seed crisis could easily resume. The priority always is substitution support and strengthen the means of production programs through persuasion of local community.

It requires special attention in a chronic seed insecure situation, efforts be made to mobilize and cooperate with institutions (ministry of agriculture, researches, universities and local agricultural firms) for seed production in their own country.

However, NGOs operating food security in most prone seed insecure areas of Africa have mixed ideas - seed kit aids focused in chronic seed insecured areas as means of sourcing funds for continuation of their food security projects. This approach of emergence relief seeds delivery creates a lot of dependancy on free seed support.

Regards,

Moko

ICRC -South Sudan




From:        "Okidi, Joseph (FAOKE)" <[log in to unmask]>
To:        [log in to unmask]
Date:        19.05.2016 09:24
Subject:        SSA Updates and Dicussion Points
Sent by:        The Community of Practice of Seed Security Assessments for the Horn of Africa <[log in to unmask]>





Dear members,
 
Greetings from SSA CoP secretariat. It has been a while for us to be in touch on seed security issues. I believe many of you have been a bit busy with various assignments since the beginning of the year. Having been out of touch for sometimes, we would like to provide you with a few updates bellow.  
 
UPDATES
 
·       South Sudan: FAO South Sudan in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture at various levels (National, State and Count) and a number of NGO partners will be conducting a Rapid seed security assessment (SSA) in few weeks from now. The aim of the assessment is to determine seed security situation for the up-coming (second) season, and provide appropriate recommendations for response, particularly in regards to crisis affected households/communities.  FAO is also planning to conduct a country wide country-wide SSA between October and December this year. Those (organization) interested in joining hands with FAO  should let us know as soon as possible for planning purposes.
 
·       Ethiopia: CRS Ethiopia in last quarter of 2015 conducted a rapid seed security assessment in the Belg growing areas of Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR and Tigray Region. This was in response to understand the effect of drought that has  widely described as the worst in 50 years.  The drought caused an estimated production loss of between 44% to 99%. The immediate impact of this assessment was that CRS was able to  change some of the wrong crops they were planning to procure and distribute for belg season. The assessment also provided a outlook into what the both the formal and informal seed sector can offer and what they cannot- more details in the attached report.
 
·       SSA Practitioners’ Guide: We are in the final stages of printing the SSA guide, and few copies will be sent to FAO country offices (Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda). We shall update you on as soon as the copies are dispatched to the country offices.
 
·       Request: Members provide us  with any completed, on-going or seed security assessment plan or responses.  
 
 
DISCUSSION POINT
 
·       What do you understand by the terms ACUTE and CHRONIC seed insecurity?
 
Regards,
 
Joseph
 



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