SeedChange

Published purpose

This project aims to increase seed, food and economic security for 26,046 small-scale farm households, enhancing the availability of diverse quality food for 153,601 women, men and youth. Over 80% of food consumed in developing countries is produced by small-scale farmers. These producers often cultivate poor land, with under-supported skills and inputs, using crop seed material and practices that are detrimental to environmental sustainability and inappropriate to their local area. This affects agricultural productivity, climate resiliency and livelihoods. The regions targeted by the project are the Dry Corridor in Central America, as well as Burkina Faso (Soum, Boulkiemde, Bazega and Boulgou Provinces), Mali (the Bamako, Douentza and Mopti regions) and Ethiopia (Amhara and Oromia regions). USC Canada’s country partners in the implementation of this initiative are: -Guatemala: Association of Organisations of the Cuchamatanes (ASOCUCH) -Nicaragua: Federation of Cooperatives for Development (FECODESA) -Honduras: Foundation for Participatory Research with Honduran Farmers (FIPAH) -Burkina Faso: USC Mali and Association pour la protection de la nature au Sahel (APN Sahel) -Mali: Conseil Accompagnement des initiatives à la Base de Demeso (CAB Demeso) -Ethiopia: Ethio-Organic Seed Action (EOSA) Project activities include: (1) training farmers (women, men, and youth), to select and utilize improved local open-pollinated seed varieties and to carry out participatory research on their own farms with technical assistance; 2) establish their own community seed banks and field gene banks to preserve the biodiversity of local crop material and build community seed self-sufficiency as a basis for food security; (3) providing information materials and agricultural extension support to small-scale farm households on agricultural best practices, including water and soil management, agroforestry and also supporting women and youth in leading their own sustainable small enterprises focused on high-value agricultural products; (4) seed marketing support; and (5) supporting government agencies, civil society organizations, and research institutions in the six developing countries by promoting the adoption of agro-ecological, participatory research and seed multiplication practices nationally, as well as regionally.