On April 29, 2025, the Pan-African Farmers’ Organisation (PAFO) and AgriCord co-hosted a webinar focused on sustainable and profitable models for seed production and distribution led by farmers’ organisations (FOs) across Africa. The event brought together diverse stakeholders including farmers organisations (FO), researchers, and policy influencers from across the globe with speakers from Madagascar, Benin, Tanzania, and France.
This webinar was organized within the context of the Farmers Organisations Led Research & Innovation in Agroecology (FORI) programme. The objective of FORI is to foster a transition towards resilient, productive and sustainable agroecological agri-food systems through farmer-led research and innovation. The AgriCord alliance in collaboration with the PAFO and Regional Farmers' Organisations (RFOs) is implementing this action with the financial support of the European Commission (EC) and Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).
The session, moderated by Professor MATAZU (ACMAD) highlighted the vital role of farmers' organisations and the private sector in improving access to quality seeds and to finance, reducing dependence on imported, conserving local biodiversity, and shaping supportive policy frameworks for farmer-managed seed systems.
Showcasing Farmer-Led Seed System Models
Three successful models from different regions of the African continent were presented:
Les Jardins Pour Tous - Benin
Les Jardins Pour Tous is a private seed company established in 2015 in Benin, operating as an accredited entity in the production and distribution of vegetable seeds and seedlings. The company also operates as an aggregator, enhancing its production capacity through partnerships with individual seed producers, two cooperatives, and three private enterprises. These partners produce certified seeds based on agreed-upon crop varieties, which are then collected, processed, stored, and marketed by the company. Producers purchase certified seeds directly from the company’s distribution centre. Seeds are also distributed through affiliated cooperatives. The company expanded its portfolio from 03 varieties in 2015 to 33 varieties in 2025.
MVIWAARUSHA - Tanzania
MVIWAARUSHA is a farmers’ organisation in the Arusha region, affiliated with Tanzania’s national farmers' organisation. It has 15,459 members and operates a decentralised, farmer-led seed system supported by 14 community seed banks. Focused on agrobiodiversity and resilience, their model integrates agroecology, microfinance, and strong advocacy for legal recognition of Farmer-Managed Seed Systems (FMSS). Farmers are organized into village groups for seed production, harvesting, and storage. These groups receive training in seed selection, agroecological methods, and quality assurance. Selected farmers multiply resilient, traditional seed varieties, supported by MVIWAARUSHA’s technical and organizational resources. Due to restrictions on direct sales of farmer-managed seeds in Tanzania, distribution methods include:
- Sale as “grain”
- Group to group exchange
- Community seed fairs
- Marketing through local agroecological markets.
Réseau SOA - Madagascar
Réseau SOA is a union of farmers' organisations in Madagascar with 34 member organisations. It engages on issues related to seeds, climate change, and land management. The union employs a mixed system blending formal certification with decentralized, grassroots-led production. Supporting seed production of key staple crops such as rice and maize, Réseau SOA provides the following key services for its seed producer members
- Technical training in entrepreneurship
- Access to market
- Facilitation to access to finance
- Access to relevant management tools.
Panel Discussion Highlights
A panel discussion featuring Dr Rémi Kahane (CIRAD), Lys Aglinglo (World Vegetable Center), and Dr Gloria Otieno (Alliance of Biodiversity International & CIAT) underscored the need to strengthen local agrobiodiversity, recognize all types of seed systems, and promote enabling policies and access to finance and markets.
Biodiversity and Agroecological Transition
Dr. Rémi Kahane emphasized the important role of local biodiversity in supporting agroecological farming:
“Our main activity is to accompany farmers in the transition to agroecology by characterizing and preserving local biodiversity. This includes not just genetic resources, but also the traditional knowledge attached to them.”
He added,
“If you store all the genetic material in deep freezers, you stop its evolution. But when farmers select seeds year after year, they adapt to climate change. This evolution is key.”
Research must help preserve, adapt, and evolve traditional varieties in farmers’ hands. Farmer-managed seed systems allow for continuous adaptation which is key for resilience in the face of climate change.
Supporting All Seed Systems
Lys Aglinglo advocated for recognizing and integrating both traditional, community-based, and formal seed systems:
“We must stop marginalizing local seed systems and ensure regulatory frameworks recognize their essential role in providing seed to farmers.”
He also emphasized the importance of capacity building:
“Strengthening seed production and distribution skills among FOs and individual producers is vital to ensure timely access to quality seeds at affordable prices.”
Enabling Environment and Farmers’ Rights
Dr Gloria Otieno highlighted the importance of supportive policy environments:
“The majority of seeds used in Africa, up to 80 or even 100% in some cases, are from farmer-managed systems. We need policies that recognize and support this reality.”
She also addressed financial sustainability:
“One critical thing for access to finance is the organization of farmers and the aggregation of their produce. Collective models can help seed producers access finance through warehouse receipt systems or cooperative collateral models.”
Dr. Otieno talked about the need for policy frameworks that formally recognize community seed banks and farmer varieties:
“Farmers should have the right to save, use, exchange, and commercialize their seeds without barriers.”
Conclusion and Call to Action
The webinar ended with a call to:
- Scale up effective models
- Replicate successful models
- Invest in hybrid seed systems blending formal and community-based systems
- Strengthen the capacities of farmer organizations to provide technical and economic services to their farmer members
- Foster policy environments that empower smallholders
- Place farmer organisations at the heart of Africa’s seed and food systems.
PAFO and AgriCord expressed their gratitude to all speakers, participants, and financial partners for their contributions to this webinar series.