Seeds are a deciding factor between a poor harvest and a good harvest. Without seed, we cannot talk about agricultural production, let alone food security in southern Africa. Seed security is food security. Africa has the potential to feed its people today and in the future if effective policies are implemented and adequate investments are made in agriculture.  

The seed security project has been made possible by a generous grant of US $ 4. 1 million (Swiss Ch 4,385,413). The first phase of this project, SADC seed security network phase one, was implemented by the SADC secretariat with funding from the Swiss Agency Development Cooperation (SDC).  

I have always thought that seed production belongs to the chosen few but with the Seed Security Project partnership, we expect that there will be a proliferation of agro dealers who will allow quality seeds to be seen side by side with Cola-Cola in rural shops. The reason you have Coca-Cola everywhere is that they must reach everyone out there or if it is Unilever in India, they are able to distribute Unilever products to the remote areas and package them into small packs. Our economies are agro-based. Therefore, inputs should be easily accessible and affordable not only in the four project pilot countries (Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe) but also Africa – wide. 

The four-year seed security project will help domesticate the SADC harmonized seed regulatory system; improve seed trade and increase the availability of high quality seed to farmers in the region. It will also facilitate easier movement of seed between countries; make more varieties of seed available throughout the region and integrate small isolated national seed markets into one large regional market.  

Food insecurity remains the biggest barrier to the achievement of the millennium development goals. The ratio of under-nourished children to total populations in Africa is up to 40% in some countries. Seed security is a major ingredient to food security in Africa. Through united action and resolve, we can reduce the number of more than one million people in Africa who go to bed on an empty stomach every day.  

The recent global financial crisis highlights the urgent need for Africa to improve productivity of staple foods such as maize, beans, cassava, sorghum, millet and groundnuts. We at COMESA have set up a specialised agency, the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) launched in 2008 whose objectives are: 1. improve competitiveness and integration of staple foods markets in COMESA member states through improved micro and macroeconomic policies as the drivers of staple food markets; 2. improve and expand market facilities and services for staple foods’ commercialization; and 3. increase commercial integration of staple foods’ producers into national and regional markets. 

The SADC Dar es Salaam declaration and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) emphasize that in order to improve agricultural productivity, Africa should urgently improve access to inputs such as fertilizer and seeds, promote research and technology adoption and invest in appropriate infrastructure for irrigation, marketing and communication. Africa, unlike Asia and Latin America has not benefited from the green revolution of the 1960s in terms of the development and production of seed varieties.  

Despite its size, Africa’s seed trade amounts to less than 2% of the global seed trade. The Maputo and Abuja declarations demand that Africa invests in agriculture for food security. Through the COMESA, EAC and SADC tripartite agreement, we hope that benefits from the seed security project will be scaled up to reach the 526 million citizens. These are the fruits of regional cooperation.  

We welcome this project which is being implemented under the principles of subsidiarity through Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN). This project is an example of cooperation between various institutions: public, private and civil society organisations in furthering our regional common agenda. The seed security project will boost initiatives under the soon to be finalised COMESA CAADP regional compact that FANRPAN is currently developing for submission to the COMESA ministers of agriculture in May this year.  

Greater seed security will help the targeted farming communities benefit from high-yielding and locally adapted crop varieties. This will in turn maximise food production per unit of labour and of other inputs. I welcome the engagements from additional partners. This region can feed itself and be the bread basket for Africa and the world.  

By Sindiso Ngwenya, 

FANRPAN Chairman.