Seed System Security Assessment in West Nile Sub region
This report is an outcome of a Seed Security Assessment (SSA) conducted in West Nile sub-region in March 2015. The assessment, which was commissioned by the Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) Uganda, was necessitated by the need to fully understand the local community’s perspectives on seed security and how the influx of refugees in the sub-region affects seed demand and supply. The SSA focused on both the formal and informal seed systems which farmers use. Channels assessed included those in the informal seed sector, namely; home stocks, seed obtained from social networks, seed aid, local markets; and the formal seed sector such as agro-input dealers, commercial companies, government, or research stations. The assessment was conducted using the Seed Security Conceptual Framework (SSCF) by attempting to answer questions on seed availability, access, quality, suitability and resilience. A combination of data collection methods was employed, including conducting household survey with 344 households; holding 10 Focus Group Discussions (FGD); conducting 20 Key Informant Interviews (KII); conducting four seed grower interviews; conducting nine agro-input dealer interviews; and conducting 16 local market surveys. The recommendations of the report focus on the need to increase the availability of and access to quality seeds; improve quality; varietal sustainability and resilience of the seed system; build capacities of key actors to improve on their production and business skills; and address issues of enabling environment in seed security.