The Hidden Factor in Restoration Success: Why Seed Quality Matters

“Many people mistakenly believe that any tree seed can be planted successfully,” said Dr Athanase Mukuralinda, director of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) Rwanda, at a national learning exchange on tree seed systems. “Using low-quality tree seeds leads to weak trees. High-quality seed is essential for effective restoration.”

That assumption – that any seed will do – points to a deeper challenge in landscape restoration across East Africa. Restoration success depends not only on planting more trees, but on planting the right species, in the right place and ensuring that tree seed is sourced from quality tree seed sources of adequate physical, physiological and genetic quality.

In Kenya and Rwanda, restoration efforts across farms, agroforestry systems, forests and degraded landscapes are still dominated by a small number of fast-growing exotic species. Many of these species benefit from decades of research, breeding programmes and well-established seed supply systems that support reliable seed quality and large-scale production.