In the era of food insecurity, securing quality seed is of paramount importance for sustainable production and delivery of the required quantity and quality of major food crops. Seeds are the basis of any good agricultural practice that intend to provide food security in the wake of climate change for an ever-growing population.

A sustainable and balanced strategy is needed to ensure continued seed production and delivery in an economically feasible manner. Based on a previous comprehensive seed system analysis, a strong public and private partnerships (PPPs) have been established between public and private seed producers. Variety maintenance, pre-basic and basic seed production of all commercial, heat stress-tolerant bread and durum wheat varieties were carried out within the activities of the project “Development of Climate Change Resilient Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Wheat Production in the Dry and Heat Prone Agro-Ecologies of Sudan and Sub-Saharan Africa”.

Through strong PPPs, certified seeds of the heat-tolerant wheat varieties were produced in Sudan and disseminated to farmers in the project’s innovation platform sites and beyond. The quantity of seed produced by the project in partnership with the public and private sectors increased from 41.7 tons in the first season (2019/2020) to 5411 tons in the 2021/2022 season, and to more than 13,600 tons in the 2022/23 season. In the first season, the project with its partners contributed only 0.12% to the total national seed production; however, the project share increased to 19% in the 2021/2022, and to more than 34% in the 2022/2023.

To support the dissemination of quality seeds among farmers, especially in remote rural areas, informal community-based seed production was also implemented. As an important element of sustainability, the capacity of all stakeholders involved in seed production was strengthened. Mainly due to the use of high-quality seeds, a direct comparison between participating farmers (PF) and non-participating farmers (NPF) in project activities in 2021/2022 showed a 35% increase in the productivity of PF compared to NPF.

The approach adopted here enabled the establishment of a strong partnership through which more than 90% of the project’s seed was produced, while the seed produced directly by the project accounted for about 6%.