The FAO Regional Office for Africa Resilience Team held its third virtual Community of Practice (CoP) meeting on 8 July 2025, bringing together FAO staff and technical experts from across the continent. The session focused on practical lessons from South Sudan on strengthening seed systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings. South Sudan has made strong progress in increasing the use of locally sourced seeds, moving from 15 percent to over 55 percent in recent years. This achievement is supported by FAO’s approach to working with both formal and informal seed systems, strengthening farmer cooperatives, training agro-dealers, and promoting local seed varieties.
To ensure seed quality at the local level, the country has introduced informal Seed Quality Control Boards (SQCBs) at state and county levels. These boards help monitor standards in the absence of fully operational national certification bodies
“We are not choosing between formal or informal systems,” noted Felix Dzvurumi, Senior Programme Officer and Deputy FAO Representative a.i. in South Sudan, during the virtual presentation. “We are designing practical solutions that work in fragile, rapidly changing environments.”
The session highlighted efforts to engage the private sector by encouraging partnerships between seed companies and farmer cooperatives. The South Sudan Seed Traders Association plays an important role in linking producers and buyers. At the same time, FAO is supporting the preservation of indigenous seed varieties, which are well-suited to local conditions and offer resilience against shocks like floods and pests. FAO’s support also includes work with the Ministry of Agriculture on a 10-year Agricultural Mechanization Plan, introducing tools such as seed planters, threshers, and cleaners to boost production. Seed fairs are being used to build trust and stimulate demand in local seed markets.
“Seed fairs give farmers direct access to seed options and suppliers, while building trust in the local system,” said Maurice Nyombe, National Crop Production Officer in South Sudan.
The virtual CoP provided a space for participants from across Africa to exchange experiences, raise questions, and learn from each other. Topics included early generation seed bottlenecks, local market development, farmer-led innovations, and improving FAO’s operational tools to meet field needs.
Facilitated by Priya Gujadhur, Senior Resilience Officer at FAO RAF, the session reinforced the value of the Community of Practice as a platform for shared learning and continuous improvement.
We are not just building systems—we’re building confidence, capacity, and long-term solutions,” said Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.