A project diffusing seeds to adapt climate change in Kenya

The Facts

Country, Region:

Baringo and Turkana, Kenya

Length:

July 2026 – June 2027

Beneficiaries:

1,500 farmers (Direct); 9,000 people (Indirect)

Total project budget:

214,138 CHF

The Goals

The project aims to strengthen food security and resilience among vulnerable farming and pastoralist families in Turkana and Baringo, while helping them better prepare for crises. To achieve this, the project relies on seed systems adapted to local conditions, community-level crisis preparedness, and support for agroecology. This approach addresses the root causes of recurring food insecurity and sustainably improves the resilience of affected households to climate-related shocks, such as floods and droughts caused by El Niño.

The Context

Kenya is bearing the brunt of climate change. In the arid regions of Turkana and Baringo, intense droughts and severe floods are destroying crops and decimating livestock. The El Niño phenomenon further aggravates the situation. By early 2026, approximately 3.3 million people were suffering from acute food insecurity in these regions. Children are particularly vulnerable: in some areas of Turkana, more than one in three children under the age of five suffers from acute malnutrition.

The major challenge is access to seeds: when a harvest is lost following heavy rains or drought, families are left without the seeds needed for the next planting season.

An answer thanks to seeds

Since 2024, SWISSAID has been working alongside the local Seed Savers Network of Kenya in the Turkana and Baringo regions, which are particularly affected by the climate crisis. Together, we are empowering farming communities to better cope with the impacts of climate change.

To achieve this, the project strengthens community-managed seed systems. At the heart of this approach are community seed banks. These structures make it possible to preserve, multiply, and distribute climate-resilient local varieties. They guarantee farmers quick access to quality seeds immediately following a climate shock, thereby securing food production in a sustainable and autonomous way.

“Thanks to the seed bank, accessing seeds during the planting season is much easier. We just go to the bank, collect the seeds we need, and plant them immediately.”

Agnes Esinyen, president of a seed bank in Turkana, Kenya

Meet 3 participants to the project

Activities

The project rolls out its actions across three strategic pillars:

Emergency and livelihood: 1,500 families receive seeds and seedlings adapted to the region. Simultaneously, 400 young people are participating in a cash-for-work program dedicated to preparing infrastructure against floods. Two seed fairs have also been organized so that farmers can acquire and distribute quality seeds.
Capacity building: Members of 12 community seed banks and 60 seed multipliers are trained in storage, packaging, agroecology, and the management of neglected and underutilized species (NUS). Early warning systems are co-developed with local authorities.
Policy framework: The project conducts advocacy efforts to advance national (SPVA) and regional seed legislation, notably by supporting the First East African Conference on Indigenous Seeds.

: Kangalita Seed Fair on the compound of the Konoo Irrigation Scheme IUVA Office. Seed Fair initiated by Seed Savers Network in project by Swissaid.

: Kangalita Seed Fair on the compound of the Konoo Irrigation Scheme IUVA Office. Seed Fair initiated by Seed Savers Network in project by Swissaid.

: Kangalita Seed Fair on the compound of the Konoo Irrigation Scheme IUVA Office. Seed Fair initiated by Seed Savers Network in project by Swissaid.

: Committee of the Turkwell Seedbank

: | Seeds Savers Network

: Kangalita Seed Fair on the compound of the Konoo Irrigation Scheme IUVA Office. Seed Fair initiated by Seed Savers Network in project by Swissaid.

Expected Impact

Inclusion and local ownership are the driving forces of this initiative:

1,500 farming families will be directly supported.
Women, the traditional guardians of seeds, will be placed at the center of decision-making bodies and training programs.
400 young people will benefit from new economic opportunities in the face of the crisis.
An additional 9,000 people will benefit indirectly from peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, the vitality of the seed banks, and improved overall food security.