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Seed Stockpiles and Other Solutions for Mozambique's Crisis

In response to the latest crisis in Mozambique, UNAC is responding with a national campaign to build emergency stockpiles of native seed varieties for key food crops. Marracuene’s maize seed bank saved many area farmers last year after the drought, restoring a maize variety that has proven resilient in most droughts and produces well without purchased inputs such as chemical fertilizer.

“The Marracuene farmers showed us this could work,” said Bartolomeu Antonio, UNAC’s Director of Rural Development. “We saw how effectively peasants could rescue and improve native seeds.”

UNAC and its farmers have mapped and identified key native seeds. They selected cassava, sweet potato, maize, and onion varieties from Zambezia Province, for example, and now plan to collect and grow out seeds, in collaboration with government agricultural experts, to create a national seed bank. They are also encouraging UNAC’s local members to follow Marracuene’s lead and create their own seed banks.

Neil Palmer/CIAT

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