Tanzania Approves Landmark National Seed Strategy to Boost Food Security and Climate Resilience

Developed in partnership with IWMI, the Tanzania Seed Sector Development Strategy sets ambitious 2030 targets to double improved seed coverage and quadruple the country’s agro-dealer network

The United Republic of Tanzania has approved a landmark national strategy aimed at transforming its seed sector into a driver of agricultural growth, climate resilience, and regional food security. The Tanzania Seed Sector Development Strategy (TSSDS) was approved on May 4 in Dodoma, marking one of the country’s most significant agricultural reform efforts in recent years.

Background: Seed Systems and the Sub-Saharan Africa Productivity Gap

Seed quality remains one of the strongest determinants of crop productivity, yet access to improved seed varieties has lagged far behind demand across much of Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, only around 20% of smallholder farmers in the region have access to improved seed varieties — a gap that continues to constrain agricultural productivity even as the region faces mounting pressure from climate shocks, food insecurity, and rising demand for reliable food production.

In Tanzania specifically, this issue carries outsized economic weight. Agriculture employs nearly 65% of the country’s population and contributes approximately one-quarter of national GDP, making seed system performance a matter of direct consequence for both rural livelihoods and broader economic development. As Eastern and Southern Africa contend with increasingly frequent and severe climate disruptions, strengthening the resilience and reach of national seed systems has become an increasingly urgent policy priority across the region.

It is against this backdrop that Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture began work in 2023 on a comprehensive national seed strategy, in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Strategy Development and Partnership

The TSSDS was developed through a multi-year collaboration between the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture and IWMI, carried out under the CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa, known as Ukama Ustawi. The process also received support from the Tanzanian think tank Agricultural Sector Policy and Institutional Reform Strengthening (ASPIRES) and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The strategy is designed to modernize and commercialize Tanzania’s seed industry through 2030, aligning with the country’s broader National Agriculture Master Plan 2050 and Agenda 10/30 development frameworks.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, IWMI/CGIAR lead for the TSSDS process Idil Ires emphasized that seed systems cannot be separated from broader investments in irrigation and water productivity. Ires said that as the strategy moves into implementation, IWMI will work with Tanzania’s agriculture and seed sector stakeholders to strengthen water access, irrigation technologies, extension services, and farmers’ connections to markets.

Strategy Targets and Priorities

The TSSDS sets ambitious, measurable targets for the coming years. Chief among them is a plan to double the area under improved seed cultivation, from approximately three million to six million hectares by 2030. The strategy also aims to expand Tanzania’s agro-dealer network nearly fourfold, from around 3,000 to 12,000 outlets nationwide.

Agro-dealers serve a critical function as last-mile distributors of quality seeds, fertilizers, irrigation technologies, and agricultural advice, particularly in rural areas where public extension services often have limited reach. Expanding this network is seen as essential to ensuring that improved seed varieties and related agricultural inputs actually reach smallholder farmers on the ground, rather than remaining concentrated in more accessible urban or peri-urban markets.

Beyond these headline targets, the strategy also prioritizes strengthening seed certification systems, increasing investment in seed multiplication and distribution infrastructure, improving market intelligence, and encouraging greater private sector participation across agricultural value chains.

International Support and Signing Ceremony

New Zealand Deputy High Commissioner Nick Meehan reaffirmed his country’s willingness to explore further agricultural cooperation opportunities benefiting Tanzania’s people and livelihoods. Meehan noted that strong seed systems are fundamental to building competitive agricultural markets and creating opportunities for small and medium enterprises and young people across the region, pointing to New Zealand’s broader support for agribusiness acceleration, research and development, institutional capacity strengthening, and training initiatives across Eastern and Southern Africa.

The official signing and approval ceremony took place at the new Mtumba Government City in Dodoma, bringing together senior government officials, development partners, researchers, and private sector representatives. Attendees included Deputy Minister for Agriculture Anthony Silinde, Deputy Permanent Secretary Gerald Mweli, Director General of the Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute Nyasebwa Chimagu, and Director of Crop Development Yasinta Beda Nzogela.

Speaking at the event, Silinde underscored the importance of quality seed to Tanzania’s agricultural future, stating that the Government of Tanzania fully supports the strategy as a major step toward strengthening the country’s agricultural sector and building long-term food security and resilience.

The ceremony was also attended by David Nyange of ASPIRES, alongside representatives from the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute, the Agricultural Seed Agency, the World Vegetable Center, the Tanzania Seed Trade Association, and various private sector organizations.

Looking Ahead

The approval of the TSSDS reflects a growing recognition, both within Tanzania and across the wider region, of the central role resilient seed systems play in strengthening rural livelihoods, food security, and long-term agricultural development. By establishing a coordinated national framework that addresses seed production, quality assurance, private sector engagement, research systems, and access to climate-resilient seed varieties, the strategy represents a significant step toward improving farmers’ access to quality seeds as Tanzania works toward its 2030 and 2050 agricultural development goals.