The Climate-Smart Agronomy Programme (CSAP) has announced the launch of a landmark initiative to establish five strategic seed banks across five geopolitical zones in Nigeria through partnerships with five state governments. The project is aimed at preserving indigenous and economically important crops threatened by climate change, deforestation, changing farming practices, and the gradual loss of traditional seed varieties.
The announcement was made in a statement issued on Sunday, July 12, by the Coordinator of the Climate-Smart Agronomy Programme (Nigeria & USA), Dr. Abiola Bashorun, who said the initiative is designed to strengthen food security, conserve biodiversity, promote climate resilience, and drive sustainable agricultural development across the country.
The proposed seed banks will conserve and propagate indigenous crops such as ogbono, ube, ukwa, ginger, and other food and tree species. They will also preserve climate-resilient plants, including Neem (Dogoyaro), Cactus, Hibiscus (Roselle), Gum Arabic (Acacia senegal), indigenous fruit trees, medicinal plants, legumes, cereals, pasture grasses, and forestry species that are essential for environmental restoration, food production, and economic growth.
According to the programme, each seed bank will serve as a secure facility for collecting, preserving, testing, multiplying, and storing seeds to safeguard valuable plant species while ensuring quality planting materials remain available for farmers, researchers, and future generations. The facilities are expected to strengthen biodiversity conservation, improve food security, preserve valuable genetic resources, and support reforestation, afforestation, and ecosystem restoration.
The initiative also forms part of CSAP’s climate change strategy by promoting food-bearing trees and climate-resilient crops to enhance carbon sequestration through food production-based afforestation. The programme said the approach will support land restoration, biodiversity conservation, improved food security, sustainable livelihoods, and increased farmers’ incomes while contributing to Nigeria’s green economy.
Beyond conservation, the project is expected to create thousands of jobs for young Nigerians across seed collection, testing, multiplication, processing, storage, quality assurance, research, logistics, agribusiness development, extension services, and nursery management.
Each of the five seed banks will also house a Modern Seed Science and Biotechnology Laboratory dedicated to seed testing, genetic characterization, quality control, germination analysis, plant health diagnostics, tissue culture, and research into climate-resilient crop varieties. The laboratories are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural research capacity and improve the quality of planting materials available to farmers.
The programme acknowledged the partnership of Ondo, Yobe, Imo, Edo, and Taraba states, describing their support as a demonstration of visionary leadership and commitment to preserving Nigeria’s agricultural heritage while building a resilient and sustainable future.
CSAP described the initiative as a strategic national investment in food security, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, scientific research, youth employment, rural economic development, and sustainable agriculture. It added that the programme will position Nigeria as a continental leader in seed conservation, agricultural innovation, climate-smart food production, agroforestry, and nature-based carbon sequestration.
The statement concluded that the initiative is not only about preserving seeds but also about securing the country’s agricultural future, stressing that “together, we are preserving the seeds of today to secure the harvests of tomorrow.”
