The Afar Region has reached a significant milestone in its seed production and supply self-sufficiency effort with the official endorsement of its first Seed Response and Seed Development Guideline. This achievement marks a transformative step toward establishing resilient agricultural practices and a robust seed development system in the region.
The endorsement event, facilitated by Mercy Corps in collaboration with SWR Ethiopia ESP project, brought together 30 key stakeholders, including representatives from government institutions, private enterprises and development partners. This diverse group worked collectively to finalize the guideline, which is set to redefine seed production and governance in Afar region.
The endorsement event was opened by Engineer Yasin Osman, Head of the Afar Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resource Development (BoANRD), who emphasized the untapped potential of Afar in seed production. Addressing long-standing misconceptions, he stated, “Many people believe that Afar region cannot produce quality seed, but the opposite is true. The region has the potential and resources to produce quality seed. What we lacked was a clear roadmap to guide us. Seed is life, and the absence of improved seed production is equivalent to infertility for human beings. We cannot allow ourselves to remain infertile.”
The workshop included presentations by key technical experts involved in developing the guideline. Mr. Habib Abdella, Director of Afar Seed Regulatory Authority, and Dr. Dandena Gelmesa, Senior Seed Governance Expert at SWR Ethiopia ESP project, presented the Seed Response and Development Guideline and its Terms of Reference (ToR). These documents underwent an intensive participatory review process, allowing stakeholders to provide valuable feedback on areas such as regulation, collaboration, coordination, support for local seed producers, and the adoption of market-based approaches instead of direct seed distribution.
With unanimous support from all participants, the Afar Seed Response and Development Guideline was officially endorsed by the regional BoANRD. The endorsement was further strengthened by signatures from key regional partners, including FAO, WFP, COPI, Save the Children, Afar Seed Enterprise (SE), APARI, and BoANRD.
During discussions, participants emphasized Afar’s untapped agricultural potential, citing examples such as the current maize production on 60 hectares of land in Ab’ala. They stressed the importance of coordinated implementation of the guideline to ensure impactful outcomes in the region’s seed sector.
The newly endorsed guideline draws inspiration from the Tigray Seed and Seed System Response model but adapts its framework to suit Afar’s unique context. It provides a formal roadmap for seed governance and production while introducing mechanisms for annual reviews to ensure continuous improvement. The guideline calls on Afar Seed Enterprise (SE) and APARI to initiate crop and vegetable seed multiplication efforts with coordinated support from key partners. This initiative lays the foundation for long-term agricultural transformation in the region.
With the endorsement now complete, efforts to socialize the guideline across stakeholders in Afar will begin soon. Mercy Corps’ ESP Program is already preparing to expand these efforts to Jigjiga in the Somali Region as part of a broader initiative to strengthen seed systems across Ethiopia’s drought- and conflict-affected areas.
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