The Seed Resilience Project launched in 2023 and brings together the International Seed Federation, the farming non-profit Fair Planet, Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and local seed companies. The project aims to improve access to climate-resilient seeds and raise agricultural productivity for small-scale farmers.
Field trials have produced rapid results. Farmers have tested many hybrid varieties and several vegetables have reached local markets. Fair Planet collects data on germination and seedlings and shares it with seed companies. Farmers say new varieties and training have increased their harvests and helped their incomes.
Difficult words
- resilience — ability to recover from difficult conditions
- productivity — amount of crops produced in a season
- hybrid — a plant from two different parent types
- germination — when a seed starts to grow
- seedling — a young plant that grew from a seedseedlings
- field trial — a test of seeds in real farmsField trials
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Discussion questions
- Would you or a local farmer want training on new seed varieties? Why or why not?
- How could climate-resilient seeds help small-scale farmers in your area?
- Have you ever tried a new vegetable variety? What happened to the harvest?
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