Teso farmers turn to seed banks to maintain genetic diversity

SOROTI-Given the need to maintain genetic diversity and nutritional value, farmers in Teso Sub-region are working against the odds to save indigenous seeds which are facing extinction due to a rising trend of hybrid crop varieties that have flooded the local market.

Teso sub-region used to be known as a home of diverse indigenous food crops and seeds. However, the local varieties are reportedly disappearing following the advent of hybrid crop varieties that mature within short periods and with high yields.

Among the indigenous crop varieties that are facing extinction are;  Emwongo [cassava], Acoco [ potatoes], Isuku [Bamba nuts], Imumwa [Sorghum] of all different species, Esunjo [Pumpkin], Ijugui [Cashew Nuts], Akima [Figure millet], Akobokobo [Cucumbers], Ekarukei/Ewelu [black plumbs] and Ebobore [Fig-mulberry].

Etekwa [Alibizia, Ecoroko [Green gram], Turmeric [ebisali], Acucuka [alovera], Ebirinyanya [eggplant], Etuba (Natal fi-ficus natalensis, Ebata [flea tree] Engosorot [Erythrina], Imare [peas], Emaido [groundnuts].

In their quest to conserve to revive indigenous seeds and traditional agroecological farming methods farmers in Teso sub-region with support from civil society organisations such as PELUM-Uganda, Community Integrated Development Initiative [CIDI] and Slow Food Uganda among others have started farming and seed saving groups.

In Amuria district farmers have established a seed bank for a variety of indigenous cereals such as groundnuts, beans, and grains including sorghum, maize, rice, and millet, and vegetables like Eboo, Ecadoi, and Malakany are being stored after harvesting.

Grace Asio, a farmer from Asuret Sub-county in Soroti district is one of a few farmers in Teso who are struggling to sustain the production of indigenous foods and seeds.

According to Asio, though the hybrid varieties mature within a short time and give high yields, they come at a high recurrent cost since farmers have to buy new seeds each planting season.

One of the indigenous varieties Asio is conserving is nutritious sorghum called Abir in Ateso local dialect.

Abir is one of the many species of sorghum locally known as “Imumwa” which is grown in the second season.

Abir can be replanted from season to season without any loss of capacity to germinate. I have been growing [Abir] sorghum all my life because it has a higher food value. It can be mixed with cassava flour to make good traditional bread for eating even without any sauce.

Asio told the Cooperator that although Abir takes nine months from planting to maturity, she likes it because it is resistant to drought. It also exhibits natural resistance to weevils, a common pest that causes huge losses to farmers.

She praises Abir for its high nutritional value and better adaptation to local weather conditions, a reason she has ticked to growing it.

The indigenous seeds can be replanted hence removing the need for money to buy seeds. That ensures continuity of food production and food security in Teso, Asio reasoned.

Simon Peter Nguran, another farmer from Palam Sub-county in Katakwi district said many farmers cannot afford the Hybrid seeds on the market because of high prices.

“Even those who are able to buy such seeds are finding it difficult to access the seeds due to poor distribution channels in the country”, he added.

Nguran explained that these hybrid seed varieties cannot be re-planted in the next season and that the need to buy planting material every season can leaves families hungry and stranded in case of crop failure.

“Indigenous foods such as yams and millet are rich in iron and were traditionally eaten by our ancestors especially men to boost sexuality,” said Nguran.

He discouraged fellow farmers from abandoning indigenous foods saying it is suicidal.

Santa Adongo 37 years from Serere district cherishes traditional seeds especially groundnuts because it is rich in natural crop oil which is very good for maintaining the body’s skin fresh and soft.

The advantages of indigenous seeds are that farmers locally manage the seeds without any cost implications, Adongo mentioned.

Iren Asio, the chairperson of Kumi community farmers group is to grow indigenous seeds and teach the young generation how to grow and store them.

“We discovered that there are some young people who don’t know this and we want to bring back those indigenous crops our forefathers used to grow for the next generation”, she noted.

According to Asio, in years to come, they want to ensure that gardens are full of indigenous seeds and their interest is not to keep these seeds for themselves but they want to multiply them and distribute them to other community members.

Anna Sofia Asingo, the project manager CIDI and said that promoting the growth of hybrid crops in the country has cost implications for ordinary farmers since they depend on seeds produced by seed companies.

“Indigenous crop varieties contribute to the conservation of agricultural biodiversity and are critical in the diversity of foods to ensure dietary mixture in smallholder communities,” said Asingo.

She is concerned that expanding Industrial agriculture has a big impact on the country’s environment due to the chemicals released from inorganic fertilizers which are highly used in the growing of hybrid crops.

Such chemicals, Asingo said, contribute to the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

According to her, relying on planting genetic diversity improved and high-yielding varieties undermines food security and conservation of agro-biodiversity in the country.

John Kiwagalo, from Slow Food Uganda, urged Ugandans to go slow on hybrid crop varieties and grow crops that grow in their natural ways and avoid fast food.

Government has been promoting the growing of hybrid crop varieties in its effort to increase production and mitigate agricultural challenges associated with weather.

However, Eric Kizito, the program officer Sustainable Farming Systems at PELUM in Uganda warned that if traditional seeds are not conserved, they are bound to get extinct.

“They have a strong social-economic value that farmers can realize. There’s a social element that is linked to culture, diversity, and germ plasma,” Kizito noted.

The officer called on scientists to come out and engage their knowledge in how the traditional seeds can be conserved alongside the improved ones.

He also encouraged the government to come up with a policy that specifically targets local seed conservation.

“There’s a tendency by the government to support commercialization of agriculture, which encourages farmers to opt for improved seeds which have high yields and undermines our traditional seeds,” he added.

Andrew Oboi, the Ngora district Agricultural officer stated that conserving indigenous seeds is hard because farmers prefer hybrid varieties given their higher-yielding as compared to the traditional ones which have high food nutrients.

“I would love to see the government intervening to save these seeds by introducing seed banks at regional level so that farmers can decide on which ones to go for,” Enangu said.

According to Enangu, a lack of clean sufficient seeds may force farmers to reuse seeds whose quality cannot be ascertained, hence the need for secured seed banks to resolve the situation.

Why the need to revive indigenous seeds

Stephen Ochola, the LCV chairperson Serere district who is also the chairperson of local governments in Teso Sub-region said it’s so important to revive the indigenous seeds now since they have been around for generations.

He pointed out that indigenous seeds help to stop hunger and famine because they are nutritious and they take longer in the soil.

“I will give you the example of cassava, the indigenous cassava used to stay about three years in the garden but these of today [government hybrid varieties], even after only six months you will find them rotten or spoiled,” Ochola observed.

https://thecooperator.news/kitgum-cotton-farmers-worried-as-seeds-fail-to-germinate/

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