Can International Genebanks Reach Fragile Contexts? Somaliland Shows How
- Arnab Gupta
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Lessons for South Sudan on strengthening farmers' adaptive capacity through participatory variety selection
Authors: Adam Ahmed, Aidid Hassan, Ronnie Vernooy and Arnab Gupta
When conflict, instability, and enforced migration have been facts of life for decades, how do you strengthen a seed sector? How do you bring new varieties to farmers who are isolated by poor infrastructure and rugged terrain, disconnected from agricultural research?
Somaliland's Sanaag region faced these exact challenges. Yet in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, Wageningen University & Research, and local Sanaag University, they accomplished something unprecedented: the first-ever participatory crop improvement initiative in this fragile region, including the first successful import of germplasm from an international genebank.
For those of us working in South Sudan's seed sector, this story offers powerful insights into what's possible when partners think creatively and adaptively in fragile contexts.
Understanding the Context
Sanaag is Somaliland's largest region, situated in the country's northeast. Sound familiar? Like many parts of South Sudan, poor infrastructure and challenging terrain mean smallholder farmers and communities remain isolated from existing agricultural research and development initiatives. Conflict and instability have put farming systems under continuous stress.
Yet in Erigavo district, there's an abundance of natural resources and fertile soil, with 50% of the population directly engaged in agricultural production. Farming families cultivate different varieties of vegetables, cereals and fruits. The challenge? Seed quality and availability are increasingly problematic, as is water supply.
This is the reality many South Sudanese farming communities know all too well.
A Novel Approach: Bringing Genebank Resources to Farmers
Working under ISSD Africa's Action Learning Project on Resilient and Diverse Seed Systems, the Sanaag team explored how to bring new bean varieties to local farmers. This innovative thought popped out following an exposure visit they had during September 2024 at the ILRI genebank in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Their reasoning was sound: increasing crop variety diversity is an effective way to increase farmers' adaptive capacity to deal with disruptions caused by weather, markets, or conflict.
The process began with farmers themselves. Through discussions, farmers detailed their priority traits:
Drought tolerance
Early maturing varieties
Disease resistance
Armed with this farmer-driven wish-list, the team reached out to the CIAT Genebank in Uganda—home to the largest collection of bean varieties on the African continent.
Exploring Uncharted Territory
What followed was groundbreaking: the first-ever import of germplasm into Somaliland from a neighbouring country. The team evaluated 9 varieties total—5 from the CIAT Genebank (NAB-17, NABE-4, NERD-1, K4T 82-1, NAB-15) and 4 local varieties (Cado, Caso, Cawlo and Filsan).
The process demanded significant energy invested in import permits, shipment management, proper handling and biosecurity considerations. Since this had never been done before between Uganda and Somaliland, and given the potential challenges of moving seed across borders, the team wisely decided to keep the initial seed quantity small. They had quite some assistance from the Ugandan Genebank on the paperwork.
Participatory Variety Selection in a Conflict Zone
Participatory variety selection (PVS) allows farmers to become researchers on their own plots—cultivating, learning about, and reporting on the performance of specific varieties. While PVS is well-established in stable contexts, it remains rare in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
The risks were real. Yet the potential for farmer empowerment motivated the Sanaag team to proceed.
Around 20 female and male farmers of different ages and from different communities opted to participate. Many played important "lead farmer" roles in their communities. Consent letters were signed with participating farmers and local community seed banks, formalizing their active participation.
The approach had to be practical. Since the quantity of seed was small, the evaluation plots also functioned as seed multiplication sites, ensuring seed would be available for the following season. This thinking is essential in resource-constrained fragile locations where accessing seeds isn't easy.
Participating farmers received not just seed for the trials, but also essential tools: hoes, shovels, forks, wheelbarrows and spades. The team also invested in installing drip irrigation at the mother trial site.
When Conflict Interrupts Research
Despite solid preparations, the trials were delayed when fighting erupted. The clashes caused displacement, and stakeholder engagement had to be postponed. Only when the security situation calmed and participants' safety could be assured did the trials begin.
This experience exemplified both the challenges of collaboratively strengthening seed systems in fragile contexts and the cooperation needed to ensure safety—a reality that South Sudan's seed sector professionals understand intimately.
What Farmers Discovered
The results spoke for themselves. Here's what farmers wrote on their evaluation scorecards:
On NAB-17 variety: "High yield potential, problems well under dry conditions"
On NABE-4: "Best drought tolerance, high number of pods"
On NAB-15: "Good yield, attractive pods length, large seed size, tolerance to drought and pests"
And importantly, farmers provided honest assessments of underperforming varieties, including local variety "Filsan": "Very low yield, small seed size with poor marketable, poor tolerance to drought and disease"
This honest farmer feedback—comparing new introductions against local varieties—is exactly the kind of evidence-based decision making that strengthens seed systems.
Five Critical Lessons for South Sudan
The Somaliland experience offers valuable insights for South Sudan's seed sector:
1. Farmers in fragile regions are the best experts of what they need: Perhaps even more than in stable contexts, it's essential to provide farmers with varieties they can trust and which have the traits they prioritize. Start with farmer-identified needs, not with what researchers or programs assume farmers want.
2. Good documentation remains essential, even amid conflict: The initiative created plant records/registers that enabled crucial performance data to be stored. This documentation proved invaluable and will guide future work.
3. International genebank access is possible in fragile contexts: This case shows, for the first time, that germplasm can be successfully imported into fragile areas. The experience of navigating documentation and bureaucratic processes serves as a template for future engagement—including for South Sudan.
4. The process reveals critical next steps: Doing this for the first time highlighted urgent infrastructure needs, particularly for seed storage facilities and capacity building. These gaps must be addressed to sustain progress.
5. Challenges can be overcome through adaptive management: Participating farmers encountered numerous obstacles: high pest and weed prevalence, uneven germination, and security considerations. Yet farmers universally were glad to participate and impressed with the varieties. Their resilience and commitment demonstrate what's possible.
What This Means for South Sudan
The Somaliland case proves that engaging in collaborative seed sector development activities in fragile regions is more complex than in stable contexts—but it is absolutely possible.
South Sudan shares many similarities with Somaliland's Sanaag region: fragile contexts shaped by conflict, isolated farming communities, limited research infrastructure, and farmers with deep knowledge of what they need to survive and thrive.
Through the South Sudan Seed Hub's partnerships with the University of Juba, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, FAO, Wageningen University & Research, and ISSD-Africa, we have the institutional framework to replicate and adapt this approach.
Big Story Short !
We must not be constrained by fragility. Rather, we should manage adaptively, think creatively outside conventional boxes, and support innovative pathways that strengthen local seed systems while respecting the realities of our context.
Moving Forward Together
The work in Somaliland reinforces that farmers and partner organizations remain highly motivated and committed to working collaboratively—even amid conflict—to build knowledge and improve access to quality seed.
For South Sudan, the question isn't whether we can do participatory variety selection or access international genebanks. Somaliland has shown us it's possible.
The question is: which region will take the first step? Which farming communities will partner with researchers, universities, and the South Sudan Seed Hub to trial this approach?
This blog is adapted from "Breaking new ground: How Somaliland pioneered international genebank access in a fragile context" by Adam Ahmed, Aidid Hassan, Ronnie Vernooy and Arnab Gupta, published by ISSD Africa on January 28, 2026.
The South Sudan Seed Hub is committed to supporting evidence-based, farmer-centered seed sector development. If your organization or community is interested in exploring participatory variety selection or accessing improved germplasm, please visit our Forum or Contact our experts.
About ISSD Africa ALP-1: The Action Learning Project on Resilient and Diverse Seed Systems brings together the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT and Wageningen University & Research to strengthen seed systems in fragile contexts across Africa.
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