Enhancing capacity for climate change adaptation by helping farmers to access genetic resources from the multilateral system of access and benefit sharing

From 2016 to October 2019, the International Treaty’s Benefit Sharing Fund supported the implementation of a project "Promoting Open Source Seed Systems for Beans, Millet and Sorghum for Climate Change Adaptation in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda." Implemented by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, in cooperation with the relevant national research institutes and NGOs. The project was aimed to improve adaptation to climate change and enhance the resource-poor farmers’ food and nutrition security, through the availability, sustainable management and use of a wider range of quality seed varieties – including sorghum, finger millet and beans. The project facilitated 749 genebank accessions of sorghum, finger millet and beans. These varieties were tested through various participatory variety selection both on-station and on-farm, then the selected varieties were further subjected to nutritional analysis. The best performing varieties were then put in catalogues and disseminated to various breeding programs and farming communities. Two community seedbanks were also established to enhance in situ conservation but also to provide access to seeds for over 3000 farmers. The project established knowledge sharing and learning platforms and supported stakeholders in key policy discussions around the implementation of access and benefit-sharing policies; registration of farmers’ varieties and commercialization through QDS systems including open-source seed systems.