Establishing a seed production system in Somalia will be the first step in reducing the country’s dependence on food imports. HornAgro uses the 14-step process tabulated below to source appropriate seed varieties from certified Plant Breeder partners for replication/multiplication in Somalia
| – | Procedure | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Sourcing Varieties | Sourcing organic seed varieties with improved yields and resilience from HornAgro Plant Breeder partners |
 | Parent Seed Multiplication | Multiplication of Breeder Seeds for distribution to seed growers in Somalia |
 | Field Selection | HornAgro selects and validates potential seed growing fields in Somalia which meet strict land use requiremens for Organic Seed Certification |
 | Planting Equipment Sanitation | During planting, seed growers protect quality by investing extra time cleaning machinery and planters to remove seed of othervarieties, difficult-to-separate weeds or other crop varieties. |
 | Roguing | Seed growers inspect their crops throughout the growing season and remove off-types, other varieties, problem weeds and other crop kinds that have emerged during the season. |
 | Field Inspection | Seed crops are inspected at a specific stage of maturity during the growing season by inspectors licensed and vetted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI). |
 | Certification | After passing the field inspection and meeting all organic seeds standards, the seed grower receives an official crop certificate |
 | Harvesting Equipment Sanitation | Before and during harvest, seed growers protect quality by investing extra time cleaning their harvesting, transfer and storage equipment. |
 | Harvesting | At the proper stage of maturity, the seed crop is harvested by the seed grower. |
 | Separate Seed Storage | To preserve varietal purity and provide a traceability record, Certified seed requires separate storage bins to preserve unique genetic identities. |
 | Testing and Grading | FGS Regulations require MoAI-accredited graders to verify that pedigreed seed is tested by accredited labs for compliance with standards for germination and physical purity. |
 | Bagging and Tagging | Certified seed is packaged and labeled by variety name with an official Certified seed tag. |
 | Market | Certified seed is made available to the market. |
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