Both the required amount and quality of forage seed are a key input for ensuring higher forage productivity. Access to certified seeds of improved forage varieties remains a challenge for smallholder farmers. This is particularly a bottleneck in areas where drought is common. This study was conducted with the objectives to assess the forage seed sources and storage methods, and to examine the effect of forage seed sources and storage methods on the quality of the forage seed. The study was carried out in 2024 in the East Belessa district of the Central Gonder zone of the Amhara region. The study included both household surveys, monitoring of forage seed storage methods, and laboratory experiments on the sampled forage seeds. Survey data was collected from 120 farmers using a structured questionnaire and leveraged from key informant interviews. Cowpea sample seeds were collected from forage seed sources and storage methods from 54 farmers while mung bean sample seeds were from both forage seed sources and storage methods from 42 farmers. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were employed for the survey and laboratory works, respectively. R-package and SPSS (v27.0) software were employed for data analysis. Only 20% and 24% of the respondents accessed the forage seeds from the Bureau of Agriculture (zonal/woreda office) and research centers, respectively. On the other hand, nearly 66% of them got the seed from informal sources, including their own saved seed, farmers, relatives, and neighbors. Farmers don’t access sesbania and pigeon pea seeds from formal sources. The laboratory analysis shows that there are significant variations (p<0.05) between formal and informal seed sources both for cowpea and mung bean for seed purity, seed germination, thousand seed weight, seedling dry weight, speed of germination, and vigour index two. The variations between cowpea formal and informal sources were significant for seedling shoot length and vigour index one, but not for mung bean. On the other hand, the difference between the formal and informal sources for seedling root length, both for cowpea and mung bean is not significant. Concerning the different storage conditions for cowpea and mung bean seeds, the study indicates non-significant variations between storage conditions for most of the quality parameters. This shows, that in the study area, the quality of cowpea and mung bean seed is not significantly influenced by storage facilities. Actively seek and use high-quality seed sources, including certified seed formal sources from research centers and agricultural offices, and adopt modern storage techniques (e.g., hermetic storage) to enhance seed viability, and train farmers on best practices for seed storage to minimize deterioration. Furthermore, policymakers assist farmers in accessing improved seed varieties through partnerships with NGOs and private enterprises.