Our Strategy
Seed Savers Network Kenya is committed to empowering smallholder farmers by preserving agricultural biodiversity and advancing food security through farmer-led initiatives.
Agrobiodiversity Conservation
Seed Savers Network is committed to advocating for seed saving and seed banking as essential strategies to combat the impacts of climate change by enhancing farmers’ access to diverse seed varieties. By establishing seed banks, we empower farmers to secure seeds with regulated access, preventing premature consumption or sale before the planting season.
Additionally, we actively promote agroforestry as a sustainable land management practice, having successfully planted over 600,000 trees—including indigenous species, nitrogen fixers, and local fruit trees—across various regions in Kenya over the past four years. Our initiatives focus on partnering with local communities and farmer organizations to implement tree planting projects, provide training on the benefits of agroforestry, and work with stakeholders to support and sustain these efforts. We also integrate food forests into our agroforestry practices, further enhancing biodiversity conservation and food production, with local communities playing a key role in monitoring and maintaining the trees.
Farmers rights/Advocacy
Seed Savers Network advocates for Farmers’ Rights by actively supporting local communities in Kenya to protect their seed sovereignty and assert their rights over agricultural resources. This advocacy involves empowering farmers through education and training, enabling them to articulate their needs and concerns to policymakers effectively. By building grassroots movements around seed saving and exchange, Seed Savers Network ensures that farmers can uphold their rights to own, save, share, exchange, and sell seeds according to their traditional practices.
Participation in international frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture strengthens Seed Savers Network’s advocacy efforts. By engaging in these forums, we advocate for policies that recognize and support Farmers’ Rights globally. This includes promoting fair and equitable access to genetic resources and ensuring that farmers’ contributions to agricultural biodiversity are respected and protected under international law.
Capacity building
Seed Savers Network is dedicated to enhancing capacity among farmers, duty bearers, and the media to foster sustainable agricultural practices and seed sovereignty across Kenya.
Farmer Empowerment
Seed Savers Network empowers farmers through comprehensive training programs covering seed saving techniques, agroecological practices, and the establishment of community-managed seed banks. Our farmer-to-farmer model fosters knowledge sharing and skill development among farming communities, promoting the widespread adoption of sustainable land management and seed conservation practices.