Seed aid—or free distribution of seeds to farmers—is a popular intervention to simultaneously reduce food insecurity and dependency on food aid in fragile countries. However, seed aid distribution also has the potential to hinder or distort the development of local seed markets. This study analyses the targeting and impact of seed aid across the green belt (cutting across the southern/equatorial states) of South Sudan.

The main findings are:

• Seed aid is widely distributed, favoring well-connected households over vulnerable, food-insecure households.

• The cultivation of relief seeds does not result in increased agricultural production through intensification or expansion.
• Seed aid seems to substitute rather than supplement local seeds, hampering seed sector development in post-conflict settings.

These findings emphasize a lack of intentionality in seed aid distribution. Still, it must be noted that the effectiveness of seed aid distribution may be greater outside our study area, above the green belt, where conflicts and natural disasters remain more frequent and intense, and where farmers are more likely to be seed insecure. But overall, this study supports the perception that South Sudan is ready for a transition towards a market-based seed distribution system.