Happy New Year!

USAID and Feed the Future would like to thank you all for being a part of Seed Systems Month on Agrilinks!

Throughout December, we discussed the importance of better coordination and collaboration between and among the formal and informal seed systems as well as the humanitarian seed programming to help famers improve their choices in accessing affordable, quality seeds for more sustainable, resilient, and productive livelihoods. Access to quality seeds and strengthening seed systems with the public and private sector are key components in achieving the U.S. Global Food Security Strategy objectives —which include sustainable agriculture-led economic growth, strengthened resilience among people and systems and a well-nourished population.

We appreciate everyone who contributed blog posts on a variety of topics related to seed systems. Though all of the content shared has been vital to the conversation, we would suggest you have a look at these posts:

1. Forecasting Demand for Seed: The Case of Ethiopia

2. High-Quality Seed Production by Smallholder Farmer Groups: A Global Case Study

3. Financing Potential of the Seed Sector in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania and Niger

4. Emergency Seed Interventions, Subsidies and the Formal Seed Sector

5. Seed System Assessments in USAID Programs: Challenges and Opportunities for Enhancing Uptake

We also want to thank those of you who engaged with the Seed System Month content, including our webinar participants for an engaging and informative discussion on Seed Businesses across Bean Corridors in Tanzania: Robert Bertram of the USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, Dr. Geoffrey Mkamilo of the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute, Dr. Eliud Birachi of the Alliance of Bioversity-CIAT and the Pan-African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), Louise Sperling of seedsystem.org, Gaudenica Bakilile of G2L Company Ltd., Dr. Jeff Ehlers of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Jean Claude Rubyogo of the Alliance of Bioversity-CIAT and PABRA.  A total of 259 attendees joined us for the conversation and generated an outstanding discussion on seed and grain flow and businesses in the trade corridor in East Africa. Some key takeaways from that event include the need for 1) a link between informal traders and better formal sector information, 2) an active strategy to inject new varieties into the informal system and 3) investment to enhance seed quality in the informal system. 

By attending the webinar, reading blog posts and sharing messages on social media, all of you contributed to an outstanding month showcasing all you do in meeting our development goals by strengthening seed systems worldwide. USAID and Feed the Future continue to be grateful for this community and the contributions each of you make to support seed systems, which we know are a crucial component to reduce poverty, hunger, and malnutrition and to improve livelihoods, resilience, nutrition and food security among smallholder farmers. Thank you for contributing to such a successful, engaging Seed Systems Month here with us on Agrilinks!