Dar es Salaam, June 19 -- IN the drylands and highlands of northern Tanzania, seeds are far more than planting materials.

They are repositories of biodiversity, carriers of indigenous knowledge, and the foundation upon which food security, resilience and sustainable livelihoods are built.

For generations, farming communities in Karatu and Arusha districts relied on farmer-managed seed systems that enabled them to conserve, exchange and reproduce seeds adapted to local environmental conditions.

However, over time, these systems began to weaken due to climate change, erosion of agricultural biodiversity, increasing dependence on external seed sources, and the gradual disappearance of traditional crop varieties.

Many farmers found themse...