Literature on community seed banks
Tione, G., Westengen, O. T., Holden, S. T., Katengeza, S. P., & Makate, C. (2025). Contribution of community seed banks to farmer seed systems and food security in Northern and Central Malawi
Community Seed Banks (CSBs) are promoted as an approach to support farmers’ access to quality seeds of adapted varieties. While the adoption and impact of varieties distributed through conventional formal seed systems have been extensively studied, research on how participation in CSBs relates to farmers’ seed systems and food security is limited. This paper uses survey data covering 688 households and 1600 plots from Northern and Central Malawi, combined with historical climate data, to assess the extent to which farmers are utilizing CSBs as a seed source and the association of farmer participation in CSBs with a range of other foods system variables. We find that CSBs are the source of about 1/3 of the seeds of maize, groundnut, and soybean used by the participants and that they source less of their seeds from their own harvest compared to non-participants. While the use of CSB seeds of different crops shows mixed associations with yields at the plot level, we find that CSB participation is positively associated with higher household food security overall. Furthermore, we find a positive association between exposure to high mean temperatures and rainfall shortages and the propensity to participate in CSBs, suggesting CSBs play a role in adaptation. This study thus shows that CSB participation is associated with several positive food system outcomes, but more research is needed to understand the causal links as well as the efficiency of CSBs compared to other approaches to strengthen farmers’ seed security.
Vernooy, R., Adokorach, J., Gupta, A., Otieno, G., Rana, J., Shrestha, P., & Subedi, A. (2024). Promising strategies to enhance the sustainability of community seed banks
Community seed banks are farmer-managed organizations that conserve and sustainably manage local crop and tree diversity. They are found in many countries of the Global South and increasingly in the Global North. Altogether, they maintain hundreds of crop and tree species and thousands of mostly local varieties and distribute tons of quality seed per year. Through their activities, they share and safeguard the world’s agrobiodiversity, contribute to seed security, and allow farming households in local communities to produce and consume more affordable, secure, diverse, and nutritious foods. However, community seed banks are knowledge-, resource-, and time-intensive organizations that operate through their members’ voluntary contributions. The purpose of this article is to analyze the sustainability challenge of community seed banks and identify strategies that address it. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used, complemented by secondary data analysis of research reports and other deliverables, resulting in five case study countries in Africa and Asia. Five promising sustainability strategies can support viable community seed bank development: value addition; nature-positive agriculture; enabling environment and national genebank partnership; networking and digitalization; and modern, low-cost seed quality technologies. Sustainable community seed banks can make important contributions to national seed sector development but they need stronger policy and legal support to maintain their sustainability.
Vernooy, R., Adokorach, J., Gupta, A., Otieno, G., Rana, J., Shrestha, P., Subedi, A. (2024). Promising Strategies to Enhance the Sustainability of Community Seed Banks.
Community seed banks are farmer-managed organizations that conserve and sustainably manage local crop and tree diversity. They are found in any countries of the Global South and increasingly in the Global North. Altogether, they maintain hundreds of crop and tree species and thousands of mostly local varieties and distribute tons of quality seed per year. Through their activities, they share and safeguard the world’s agrobiodiversity, contribute to seed security, and allow farming households in local communities to produce and consume more affordable, secure, diverse, and nutritious foods. However, community seed banks are knowledge-, resource-, and time-intensive organizations that operate through their members’ voluntary contributions. The purpose of this article is to analyze the sustainability challenge of community seed banks and identify strategies that address it. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used, complemented by secondary data analysis of research reports and other deliverables, resulting in five case study countries in Africa and Asia. Five promising sustainability strategies can support viable community seed bank development: value addition; nature-positive agriculture; enabling environment and national genebank partnership; networking and digitalization; and modern, low-cost seed quality technologies. Sustainable community seed banks can make important contributions to national seed sector development but they need stronger policy and legal support to maintain their sustainability.
Meixner Vásquez, V., and Andersen, R. (2023). Community seed banks: Instruments for food security or unsustainable endeavour? A case study of Mkombezi Community Seed Bank in Malawi.
Community Seed Banks (CSBs) have been established in many developing countries to improve small-scale farmers’ access to crop genetic resources and thereby their food security. However, empirical evidence of the effects on farmers’ food security remains scarce. This study focuses on Malawi, where the NGO Biodiversity Conservation Initiative has facilitated the operation of four CSBs. Among these, Mkombezi CSB was selected for in-depth analysis, as a case of a well-established CSB carrying out typical activities of a CSB, such as conserving a rich diversity of crop varieties, enhancing the performance of selected varieties, enabling access to relatively high-quality seed of the varieties, arranging seed and food fairs, capacity building in agricultural practices responding to the effects of climate change, as well as trainings in group dynamics and gender relations relevant to food production and the operation of the CSB. Three questions guide this study: (1) Does Mkombezi CSB contribute to food security? (2) If so, how? (3) Under what conditions may the findings be relevant for other CSBs in Malawi and elsewhere? The analysis builds on qualitative information from 43 semi structured in-depth interviews, two focus-group discussions and 24 key informant interviews. We find that Mkombezi CSB contributes decisively to improving food security among its members as well as helping them to cope with lean seasons and unexpected shocks. Overall, this study indicates that under certain conditions, CSBs may contribute considerably to food security.
Ramanna, A., and Andersen, R. (2022). Stewardship or ownership in India: Options for community seed banks in managing crop genetic resources in relation to intellectual property rights
Community seed banks (CSBs) play an important role in ensuring access to crop genetic diversity. The extension of intellectual property rights (IPR) to include farmers' varieties and traditional knowledge in India could impinge on the role of these seed banks in conserving and sharing crop genetic resources. This study enquires into how CSBs are responding to these developments, and the strategic options available with regard to IPR. Should community seed banks claim IPRs over their material or should they focus on promoting greater access to achieve their aims of conservation, sustainable use and innovation of crop genetic resources? By employing two distinct strategies—the ownership and stewardship approaches—we analyse how CSBs in India respond to demands for greater legal control over crop genetic resources and the need for access to genetic resources to ensure food security, and derive possible strategy options. We examine the strategies adopted by five organizations that facilitate the work of such community seed banks, noting the prospects and challenges as regards adopting a stewardship or an ownership approach.
De Falcis, E., Gauchan, D,. Nankya, R., Martinez Cotto, S., Jarvis, D., Lewis, L., & De Santis, P. (2022). Strengthening the economic sustainability of community seed banks. A sustainable approach to enhance agrobiodiversity in the production systems in low-income countries
This paper analyzes the functions of CSBs and shows that CSBs can effectively integrate formal and informal seed systems to improve food security. Furthermore, the paper shows that CSBs can be a platform to trigger innovation adoption through a bottom-up approach and thus stimulate community development. It further shows that investment in the economic sustainability of CSBs often goes unnoticed.
Okori, P., Munthali, W., Msere, H., Charlie, H., Chitaya, S., Sichali, F., ... & Chirwa, R. (2022). Improving efficiency of knowledge and technology diffusion using community seed banks and farmer-to-farmer extension: experiences from Malawi.
Agri-innovations are mostly delivered to farmers through private and public sector-led institutions around the world, with various degrees of success in Malawi. These distribution systems, on the other hand, do not meet everyone's production and productivity needs, particularly those of smallholder farmers. Alternative gap-filling systems are therefore required. Over the course of 7 years, we performed two studies in Malawi to assess the efficiency of integrated farmer led agri-innovation delivery mechanisms, in order to advise programming and delivery improvements. The first study looked at the impact of farmer-led technology delivery on agricultural output and productivity. It was split into two phases: learning (2010–2015) and scaling-out (2016–2019). The second study looked at how smallholder farmers changed their behaviour, after receiving instruction during the scaling-out phase. A farmer-led social network, community seed banks, was used as the research platform.
Otieno, G., Ogola, R. J. O., Recha, T., Mohammed, J. N., & Fadda, C. (2022). Climate change and seed system interventions impact on food security and incomes in east Africa.
Climate change is challenging agricultural productivity, especially in Africa. Adoption of improved or diverse seed varieties is a promising strategy to achieve increased yields, support food security and reduce poverty under climate change in East Africa. However, rigorous impact evaluations linking the contributions of improved seeds to the welfare of households have been limited. This paper evaluates the impact of diversified seed systems on farm household production, sales, income, consumption and seed storage in Kenya and Uganda. It applies four-cell analysis to explore the intra-specific diversity of crops within farming systems, using primary data obtained from a random sampling of 207 treatment households and 87 control households. Propensity score matching was used to investigate the relationship between adoption of improved seeds and changes in production, sales, income, consumption, seed storage and food security. Econometric results indicate that treatment households using improved seeds saw a significant positive impact on income from bean seed sales, sorghum and millet consumption, bean livestock feed and maize and millet seed stored. We conclude that increasing seed diversity helps farmers cope with climate change and increases productivity, food availability, incomes and food security. Partnerships among seed improvement stakeholders need to be enhanced to ensure a continued supply of appropriate seeds to farmers.
Vernooy, R., Rana, J., Otieno, G., Mbozi, H., & Shrestha, P. (2022). Farmer-Led Seed Production: Community Seed Banks Enter the National Seed Market. Seeds, 1(3), 164-180.
Smallholder farmers around the world obtain their seed from various sources, which can vary over time. In some countries, smallholder farmers are gaining ground as local seed producers and sellers. This study focuses on the seed production and marketing operations, achievements, and challenges of a particular type of such producers—community seed banks—which are new players in the seed market. Pioneer case studies are presented from countries where grain legumes and dryland cereals are important crops: India, Nepal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. A mixed methodology was used to collect data, including a literature review, focus group discussion, key informant interview, and participatory observation. The case studies demonstrate the viability of community seed banks as seed businesses but becoming successful is not easy and depends on managerial, technical, financial, social, and policy factors. The cases benefitted from strong initial support provided by a committed and experienced organization, as part of a trajectory of nurtured seed development and empowerment. Embedding local seed enterprises in seed sector networks is crucial to creating demand and gaining recognition and support. Government and development organizations could learn from the case study experiences and support programs to foster local seed businesses as key actors in integrated seed sector development.
Andersen, R., Meixner Vásquez, V., and Wynberg, R. (2022). Improving Seed and Food Security in Malawi. The Role of Community Seed Banks. FNI Policy Brief 1/2022
Smallholder farmers are the backbone of the Malawian economy. However, they increasingly experience food shortages. This Policy Brief focuses on the role of seeds in addressing hunger, and how community seed banks can contribute to seed and food security. It also addresses the need for an enabling policy environment.
Smallholder farmers depend on cultivating a diverse range of local crops and varieties. This diversity helps them to adapt their production to the effects of climate change and to meet nutritional needs. However, in Malawi, seeds of local crops and varieties are often scarce; in many communities, much of the diversity is gone or is disappearing at fast pace. Food shortages are frequent in the lean period before harvest time and farmers in desperate need of food often end up eating their own seeds. The low purchasing power of many smallholder farmers and the reduced availability of seed of preferred varieties means that the possibilities for buying seed are limited. A vicious circle ensues, and the possibility of meeting dietary needs deteriorates.
In Malawi, official seed policies have contributed towards this reduced diversity, as they neglect the vital importance of local crops and varieties for food and nutrition security. The legislation along with agricultural policies heavily promotes the commercial seed sector.
Agrobiodiversity-based community seed banks contribute significantly to local seed and food security by serving as valuable hubs for the reintroduction of local crop diversity, knowledge sharing on agricultural methods, capacity building and empowerment. Thus, scaling out well functioning agrobiodiversity-based community seed banks is an important means to improve seed and food security among smallholder farmers in Malawi. If just a fraction of the funding invested in commercial crop production could be allocated for support and development of community seed banks, much would be achieved.
Organizations involved in smallholding farming projects in Malawi should consider assessing the seed security in their project areas and including community seed banks as components of their projects. This will help to ensure that farmers in the project areas have access to seeds of preferred crop varieties. Further recommendations for policymakers, legislators NGOs and donors as well as success factors for community seed banks are highlighted in the policy brief.
Vansant, E. C., Bezner Kerr, R., Sørensen, H., Phiri, I., & Westengen, O. T. (2022). Exchange and experimentation: community seed banks strengthen farmers’ seed systems in Northern Malawi. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 1-22.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the cultivation of local crop varieties persists despite a political environment that favours commercial seed system development to address seed and food insecurity. Community seed banks (CSBs) are emergent alternative/ complementary development initiatives, yet there remains limited empirical research on their role in farmers’ seed systems. In Malawi, where maize is a sociopolitical currency, we use maize seeds as a means to examine how CSBs may support farmers’ seed systems. Through 60 semi-structured interviews with both CSB members and non-members, we collected quantitative and qualitative data on maize seed access opportunities, farmer preferences, and patterns of seed adoption/discontinuation. Interviews show that while CSBs play a negligible role in farmers’ maize seed supply, they can strengthen seed sharing networks through auxiliary social and economic services. CSB members report higher levels of satisfaction with local maize over commercial maize, suggesting CSBs can expand farmers’ frame of reference through events that encourage exchange and experimentation. Local power dynamics can affect CSB accessibility; initiatives to expand CSB operations must therefore address the inherent exclusivity of CSBs as membership-based institutions. These findings invite future research on CSB viability and the potential of decentralized development interventions to improve farmers’ seed security in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Song, X., Li, G., Vernooy, R., & Song, Y. (2021). Community seed banks in China: Achievements, challenges and prospects. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5, 630400.
The rich agrobiodiversity of China is under unprecedented threat, experiencing a dramatic loss of many valuable local varieties and wild relatives of main crops. The country's formal conservation system of ex situ genebanks faces serious challenges to address this loss. Community seed banks can play a key role to complement the conservation activities of these genebanks and provide other important collective goods, such as evolutionary services, but although they have been around for some 35 years in various parts of the world, in China they have a much shorter history. In recent years though the number has increased to almost 30 in 2020, in particular due to the efforts of the China Farmers' Seed Network. The community seed banks in the country are very diverse in terms of functions and services, forms of management and institutional linkages. Compared to the most common functions of community seed banks in other countries, China is bringing an important design innovation through two new functions: adding value to seed and produce through innovative marketing strategies, and building regional and national seed system linkages and fostering collaboration. The review of community seed banking not only provides rich empirical evidence, but also makes an important contribution to theory. Building on the achievements of community seed banking in the last decade, there is scope to scale this kind of very valuable agrobiodiversity conservation approach through more effective uptake and support by relevant national policies.
Porcuna-Ferrer, A., Fiala, V., Freyer, B., van Etten, J., Vernooy, R., & Probst, L. (2020). Do community seed banks contribute to the social-ecological resilience of communities? A case-study from western Guatemala. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability.
Community seed banks (CSBs) are initiatives to support the conservation and use of 35 diverse crops though locally rooted collective action. The impact of CSBs is assumed to be 36 complex, but has not been investigated in detail. Our study addresses this gap by analysing 37 the impact of CSBs using social-ecological resilience as theoretical framework. We focus 38 on the western highlands of Guatemala where CSBs have been implemented since 2009. 39 We used qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis, including 40 focus groups, participatory workshops, and structured and semi-structured interviews 41 conducted in the local communities with CSB members and non-members. Our results 42 indicate that CSBs contributed to increased seed exchanges, improved access to novel crop 43 diversity, more saving of traditional varieties, and greater information and knowledge 44 access, use and exchange. These effects strengthened the social-ecological resilience of the 45 local communities. The scope of action of the CSBs, however, was constrained by wider 46 socio-economic trends, including social divisions, out-migration of youth, and a change in 47 livelihood strategies. We conclude that for CSBs to effectively strengthen social-ecological 48 resilience in the future, they should be continuously adapted to the local context. 49 Conceptually, our findings call for the further evolution of the CSB concept.
Vernooy, R., Mulesa, T. H., Gupta, A., Jony, J. A., Koffi, K. E., Mbozi, H., ... & Wakkumbure, C. L. K. (2020). The role of community seed banks in achieving farmers’ rights. Development in Practice, 30(5), 561-574.
Although community-level seed-saving initiatives have existed in many countries around the world for about 30 years, they have rarely been the subject of systematic scientific enquiry. Based on a combination of a literature review and field research, we present a novel comprehensive conceptual framework that focuses on the multiple functions and services provided by community-based seed-saving efforts, in particular community seed banks. This framework is output oriented and complements an input oriented typology of community seed banks presented in 1997. The framework identifies three core functions: conserving genetic resources; enhancing access to and availability of diverse local crops; and ensuring seed and food sovereignty. The framework can be used for analysis of existing seed-saving initiatives and serve as a guide for the establishment of new community seed banks. In addition, it can inform the development or revision of national policies or strategies to support community seed banks. The framework’s utility is illustrated by three case studies of community seed banks in Bangladesh, Guatemala and Nepal.
Andersen, R. (2019). The Impact of the Development Funds’ and EOSA’s Community-based Agrobiodiversity Management Programme in Ethiopia. FNI Report 7/2019.
The Development Fund of Norway (DF) has commissioned an evaluation to analyse the impact, relevance and sustainability of the Community-based Agrobiodiversity Management Programme (CBAM) in Ethiopia, which was implemented by Ethio-Organic Seed Action (EOSA) with DF support from from 2011 until 2016, aimed at sustainable adaptation to climate change in farming communities. Target groups were households of small-scale farmers, including women and youth, in the Oromia and Amhara regions, and, from mid-2014, also in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). CBAM had profound relevance to the target groups, as it addressed their basic needs with regard to seed and food security, improved nutrition and income generation. The impacts of CBAM have been impressive for most of the 13 EOSA sites. Not only has lost crop diversity in these centres of crop diversity been reintroduced and restored, varieties have also been adapted to climate change and further improved to accommodate the needs of local farmers. Farmers gave impressive accounts of how the programme has transformed their lives from poverty and hunger, to seed security, better food and nutrition security, improved livelihoods, and enhanced capacity and self-esteem. CBAM has also impacted on policies in Ethiopia, most notably as regards seed policies and agricultural policies. The greatest challenge concerns financial sustainability. The evaluation offers recommendations as to how the experiences could be better documented, analysed and shared, how financial sustainability may be secured, and how conditions could be identified for scaling up the model to a national level in Ethiopia and in other countries. Towards this end, it offers recommendations for capacity development, focus of work and long-term commitment.
Andersen, R. (2019). The Impact of the Development Fund’s and LI-BIRD’s Community-based Agrobiodiversity Programme in South Asia – with emphasis on Nepal. FNI Report 6/2019.
The Development Fund of Norway (DF) has commissioned an evaluation to analyse the impact, relevance and sustainability of its Community-based Biodiversity Management South Asia Programme (CBM-SA). The programme was implemented by Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) with DF support from 2008 until 2016, aimed at improving the ‘biodiversity-based’ livelihood security of local communities. Target groups were small-scale farmers, disadvantaged farmers in particular, with a special emphasis on women. The focus of the evaluation is on Nepal. The CBM-Nepal Programme has successfully responded to the most central needs of the target groups, including those of women and members of disadvantaged groups, in seven of the ten sites that were followed up by LI-BIRD until the end of the programme period. Seed and food security and livelihoods have improved greatly within the target groups. The programme has repatriated and secured access to crops that are adaptive to climate change and has introduced agricultural methods that are similarly more resilient. Members appreciate the collective spirit, self-esteem and empowerment experienced through their associations. The CBM-Nepal Programme is highly relevant to, and has influenced the policies, strategies and plans of the government of Nepal, and has also contributed to achieving Nepals commitments to relevant international agreements. The evaluation offers recommendations as to how the experiences could be better documented, analysed and shared nationally and internationally, and how conditions could be identified for scaling up the model to a national level in Nepal and in other countries. Towards this end, it offers recommendations for capacity development, focus of work and long-term commitment
Maharjan, S., & Maharjan, K. (2018). Roles and contributions of community seed banks in climate adaptation in Nepal.
Community seed banks are an effective local institution to conserve quality seeds, to strengthen farmers’ accessibility to social seed networks, and improve agrobiodiversity and food security. This article analyses the prospects and challenges of community seed banks in climate change contexts. It finds that community seed banks serve as sources of climate-resilient seeds to withstand in local climates and improve community resilience. Community seed banks provide landraces for participatory crop improvement to develop resistant varieties to improve quality and productivity. They also strengthen participatory seed exchange to cope with climate adversity. However, there are challenges with defining specific and common goals, functions, approaches, and governance.
Gauchan, D., Joshi, B. K., & Bhandari, B. (2018). Farmers’ rights and access and benefit sharing mechanisms in community seed banks in Nepal
Farmers’ Rights and access and benefit sharing (ABS) are important and interlinked issues in the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity. This chapter aims to assess the current status and policy gaps of implementing farmers’ rights and ABS mechanisms with regard to community seed banks and the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity in Nepal. It also explores potential options and strategies to promote community seed banks as local legitimate institutions for formalizing ABS mechanisms and realizing farmers’ rights. The information for this study is generated and synthesized from a review of relevant policies and programs, key informant interviews and focus group discussions with community seed bank members and stakeholder consultation meetings. Recently, community seed banks (CSBs) are emerging as important community-based institutions for local level access and exchange of genetic resources, strengthening local seed system, realizing farmers’ rights and safeguarding agrobiodiversity.
They are also gradually emerging as a local grass-roots institution for crop improvement, variety maintenance and registration of local varieties for increased benefit sharing with farmers and local communities. A well-functioning CSB adopts community biodiversity management (CBM) approaches and tools, such as community biodiversity register, diversity field school, diversity fair, community biodiversity management fund, participatory plant breeding, value addition and marketing to promote local access, exchange, use and conserve crop genetic resources using customary rules and practices. At present, however, there are no formal mechanisms, rules, guidelines and protocols for facilitating access, exchange and use of genetic resources from the CSBs in line with national and international policies and protocols. Considering this situation, we propose a model for developing a community seed bank as a legitimate institution (platform) for prior-informed consent (PIC) and ABS mechanisms and formalizing farmers’ rights to genetic resources. This will, however, require creating incentive mechanisms for custodian farmers and communities and bringing support from formal sector agencies through relevant policies, legislation and programs to promote and sustain community seed banks.
Andersen, R., Shrestha, P., Otieno, G., Nishikawa, Y., Kasasa, P., & Mushita, A. (2018). Community seed banks: sharing experiences from North and South.
The number of community seed banks is rapidly increasing, in response to the growing demand for greater diversity of crop genetic resources among farmers and gardeners around the world. Two major studies shed light on this development, enabling a closer look at the differing approaches, methods, outreach and achievements. These studies were presented and illustrated with examples at a side-event at the Seventh Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty) in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2017, aimed at sharing experiences. This report presents the contents of the side-event as well as key decisions from the Governing Body Session of relevance for community seed banks.
Vernooy, R., Sthapit, B., Otieno, G., Shrestha, P., & Gupta, A. (2017). The roles of community seed banks in climate change adaption. Development in Practice, 27(3), 316-327.
Although community level seed-saving initiatives have been around for about 30 years, until recently they have received little attention in the scientific literature on climate change adaptation and plant genetic resources. Based on research experiences from various countries, this article argues that community seed banks can enhance the resilience of farmers, in particular of communities and households most affected by climate change. Community seed banks can secure improved access to, and availability of, diverse, locally adapted crops and varieties, and enhance related indigenous knowledge and skills in plant management, including seed selection, treatment, storage, multiplication, and distribution.
Otieno, G. A., Kiwuka, C., & Mulumba, J. W. (2017). Realizing Farmers’ Rights through Community Seed Banks in Uganda: Experiences and Policy Issues. Sustainable Agriculture Research, 6(526-2017-2668).
The paper interrogates the role of community seed banks (CSBs) and related initiatives in the realization of farmers’ rights in Uganda and the policy and legislative space for the functioning of CSBs. The study finds that although community seed banks are a relatively new phenomenon in Uganda, there have been community based seed banking initiatives that have been instrumental in the realization of farmers’ rights to save and exchange seed and information; and especially providing a wide range of diversity of seed to farmers and improving access to good quality seed. Through partnerships with local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), research and government institutions, CSBs have received technical and financial support for conservation and seed production activities, thus enabling them to participate in seed value-chains through production of quality declared seed (QDS) and participate in decision making. Although the policy and legal environment for the functioning of CSBs is not well defined, various pieces of draft legislation provide positively for ways through which CSBs can be recognized and supported for the benefit of farmers. The study recommends that CSBs activities should be rolled-out to other parts of the country through a government financing mechanism that is suggested in the draft national policy on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. The development of a policy and legal environment that includes an act that has provisions for the recognition of CSBs and the protection of farmers’ rights is important. Secondary information, interviews with key informants and Focus Group discussions (FGDs) are the primary sources of data used.
Vernooy, R., Shrestha, P., and Sthapit, B. (eds) (2015). Community seed banks: origins, evolution and prospects. Issues in Agricultural Biodiversity. London (UK): Routledge 270 p. ISBN: 978-0-415-70806-0
Community seed banks first appeared towards the end of the 1980s, established with the support of international and national non-governmental organizations. This book is the first to provide a global review of their development and includes a wide range of case studies.
Development Fund. (2011). Banking for the Future: Savings, Security and Seeds. A short study of community seed banks in Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Honduras, India, Nepal, Thailand, Zambia and Zimbabwe
This report presents various community seed bank projects and the lessons that can be learned from them. Community seed banks are collections of seeds that are maintained and administered by the communities themselves. Seeds can be stored either in large quantity to ensure that planting material is available, or in small samples to ensure that genetic material is available should varieties become endangered. Such seed banks have the potential to be important contributing factors to the realization of Farmers' Rights and this is also examined in a chapter in the report. The report features the story on how farmers in Costa Rica increase their income through seed multiplication, how farmers in Honduras was saved by their community seed bank when hit by flood, how traditional knowledge is passed on to school children in Thailand, how farmers in Ethiopia got access to traditional varieties that had been lost. The report studies the experiences with community seed banks in Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Honduras, India, Nepal, Thailand, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the report concludes with a set of policy recommendations to governments, agricultural research institutions, the commercial seed sector and NGOs.