Our Vision
To be a leading agent in promoting diverse seed access to farming communities in Kenya.
our story
Daniel Wanjama grew up in rural Kenya with his family practicing subsistence farming. First hand experience with hunger motivated him to work in the civil service as an agricultural officer. However, he soon realized that the approaches and policies informed by the green revolution for industrialization of agriculture were not working for small scale farmers. He noted that the increased use of hybrid seeds, fertilizers and pesticides were neither improving farmers’ income nor enabling small scale farmers to feed themselves with safe and sufficient food. In 2009, he founded Seed Savers Network to address food and nutritional insecurity, with seeds as an entry point. It cannot be acceptable that small scale farmers are the hungriest and the poorest segment of the Kenyan population. The network has now grown to an extent that farmers are conducting campaigns and reaching out to other smallholder farmers across the country.
meet the team
Daniel Wanjama - Director
I am aware seed is life and beginning of food. Seed is at the center of survival of humanity and every community should have control of their own seed. Although seed freedom seems obvious, a lot has changed, seeds are no longer common goods but rather a preserve of a few. Seed access and seed freedom are human right issues and you should join us in defending the rights of our communities to feed ourselves.
Lydia Nyambura - Extension Officer
‘I am extremely enthusiastic about seed production and seed saving. Witnessing farmers creating impact and bringing change in agricultural space is my greatest motivation.’
Dominic Kimani - Advocacy, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
'We are all equals and collectively we should protect the rights of each member of our society. I believe in social justice where every person can access clean air, food and water. Keen on empowering the vulnerable in the society to safeguard their rights.'
Julia Kamau - Gender and Agroecology Market Officer
‘I'm passionate about entrepreneurship, empowerment and environmental conservation. Always inspired to see change towards sustainable agricultural landscape for the well-being of the farmers.’
Mary Wambui Wakahiu- Program Officer
‘In a true sense, we have with us a treasure of valuable agrobiodiversity contributing to nutrition security. I have a passion for conserving indigenous and endangered crop and tree species’
Mercy Ambani - Project Coordinator
‘My passion is to work with smallholder farmers, conduct field trainings, to impact on livelihoods and generally cause a change in my society. ’
Dalmus Mitei - Project Coordinator
'Food diversity is a major source of nutrients needed in our bodies. Having farmers Embracing crop diversity and health food is my greatest desire.'
Cyrus Wanjohi - Program & Field Extension Officer
'I acknowledge that seeds are the basis of agriculture, carriers of genetic make up of plants and soul of food systems hence without seeds no life no future.'
Mercy Muthoni - Finance Officer
'To be a farmer is a learning journey, forever having to learn a new thing each day. I am inspired to see farmers improve their living standards.'
Our seed ambassadors
Introducing knowledge and skills at the grassroots is key to ensuring agricultural innovations’ replicability and sustainable growth. SSN’s work with farmers in the past 10 years has fostered the creation of a farmers’ network grounded in principles of solidarity and trust. In this process, 10 highly engaged farmers from different villages in Nakuru county have become Seed Ambassadors (SA). SA are farmer leaders who have been trained, mastered seed saving and other agroecological practices and have shown an interest in disseminating such practices using the farmer-to-farmer extension (FFE) model.