The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the African Development Bank, is supporting Comoros in developing a resilient national seed system to reduce dependence on imports and enhance food security. Through the SEPAREF project, the country is laying the foundation for sustainable, climate-adapted agriculture across its islands.
Comoros faces significant challenges as a small island nation, including climate variability and limited access to quality planting material, which have historically undermined agricultural productivity and resilience. The SEPAREF project was launched to address these issues by ensuring the availability of locally adapted, high-quality seeds.
Implemented from 2022 to 2025, SEPAREF focused on multiplying certified local seeds, deploying a digital early-warning platform for agricultural risks, and strengthening institutional and community capacities. In collaboration with national partners, including INRAPE, DNSAE, CRDEs, and farmer cooperatives, the project trained 467 farmers and equipped over 150 technical and institutional staff with enhanced knowledge and skills.
Key achievements include the production of 15,000 kg of CIRAD 412 maize foundation seed and 600,000 sanitized cassava cuttings across 34 hectares. National institutions are now capable of certifying and controlling seed quality, demonstrating that local seed production is both technically and economically viable.
SEPAREF’s success has created a pathway for scaling across Mohéli, Anjouan, and Grande Comore, focusing on strengthening producer cooperatives, expanding certified seed production plots, and establishing value-added processing units for regional markets. By 2025, large-scale seed certification and digital monitoring platforms are expected to be fully operational, enabling broader agricultural transformation.
The initiative was showcased at the 19th FAO Subregional Multidisciplinary Team Meeting, highlighting Comoros’ commitment to building resilient agrifood systems and sharing scalable solutions with other island and coastal nations.
