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Community seed banks first appeared towards the end of the 1980s, established with the support of international and national non-governmental organizations. Community Seed Banks is the first to provide a global review of their development and includes a wide range of case studies. Countries that pioneered various types of community seed banks include Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. In the North, a particular type of community seed bank emerged known as a seed-savers network. Such networks were first established in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA before spreading to other countries.
Over time, the number and diversity of seed banks has grown. In Nepal, for example, there are now more than 100 self-described community seed banks whose functions range from pure conservation to commercial seed production. In Brazil, community seed banks operate in various regions of the country. Surprisingly, despite 25 years of history and the rapid growth in number, organizational diversity and geographical coverage of community seed banks, recognition of their roles and contributions has remained scanty. Community Seed Banks reviews their history, evolution, experiences, successes and failures (and reasons why), challenges and prospects. It fills a significant gap in the literature on agricultural biodiversity and conservation, and their contribution to food sovereignty and security.
1. Introduction
Ronnie Vernooy, Pitambar Shrestha and Bhuwon Sthapit
Part 1: Comparative Analysis of Key Aspects of Community Seed Banks
2. Origins and Evolution
Ronnie Vernooy, Pitambar Shrestha and Bhuwon Sthapit
3. Functions and Activities
Pitambar Shrestha, Ronnie Vernooy and Bhuwon Sthapit
4. Governance and Management
Bhuwon Sthapit, Ronnie Vernooy and Pitambar Shrestha
5. Technical Issues
Pitambar Shrestha, Bhuwon Sthapit and Ronnie Vernooy
6. Support and Networking
Ronnie Vernooy, Bhuwon Sthapit and Pitambar Shrestha
7. Policy and Legal Environment
Ronnie Vernooy, Pitambar Shrestha and Bhuwon Sthapit
8. Sustainability
Pitambar Shrestha, Bhuwon Sthapit and Ronnie Vernooy
Part 2: Case Studies from Around the World
9. Bangladesh: the Mamudpur Nayakrishi Seed Hut
M. A. Sobhan, Jahangir Alam Jony, Rabiul Islam Chunnu and Fahima Khatun Liza
10. Bhutan: the Bumthang Community Seed Bank
Asta Tamang and Gaylong Dukpa
11. Bolivia: Community Seed Banks in the Lake Titicaca Area
Milton Pinto, Juana Flores Ticona and Wilfredo Rojas
12. Brazil: Gene Banks, Seed Banks and Local Seed Guardians
Terezinha Aparecia Borges Dias, Irajá Ferreira Antunes, Ubiratan Piovezan, Fabio de Oliveira Freitas, Marcia Maciel, Gilberto A. P. Bevilaqua, Nadi Rabelo dos Santos and Cristiane Tavares Feijó
13. Brazil: the Minas Gerais Seed Houses for Conservation in Times of Climate Crisis
Anna Crystina Alvarenga and Carlos Alberto Dayrell
14. Canada: the Toronto Seed Library
Katie Berger, Jacob Kearey-Moreland and Brendan Behrmann
15. China: The Xiding Gene Bank in Yunnan
Yang Yayun, Zhang Enlai, Devra Jarvis, Bai Keyu, Dong Chao, A. Xinxiang, Tang Cuifeng, Zhang Feifei, Xu Furong and Dai Luyuan
16. Costa Rica: Unión de Semilleros del Sur
Flor Ivette Elizondo Porras, Rodolfo Araya Villalobos, Juan Carlos Hernández Fonseca and Karolina Martínez Umaña
17. Guatemala: Community Seed Reserves Restore Maize Diversity
Gea Galluzzi and Isabel Lapeña
18. India: Community Seed Banks and Empowering Tribal Communities in the Kolli Hills
E. D. Israel Oliver King, N. Kumar and Stefano Padulosi
19. India: From Community Seed Banks to Community Seed Enterprises
G. V. Ramanjaneyulu, G. Rajshekar and K. Radha Rani
20. Malaysia: Exploring the Utility of a Community Seed Bank in Sarawak
Paul Bordoni and Toby Hodgkin
21. Mali: An Overview of Community Seed and Gene Banks
Amadou Sidibe, Raymond S. Vodouhe and Sognigbe N'Danikou
22. Mali: The USC Canada-supported Gene and Seed Banks of the Mopti Region
Abdrahamane Goïta, Hamadoun Bore, Mariam Sy Ouologueme and Ada Hamadoun Dicko
23. Mexico: Community Seed Banks in Oaxaca
Flavio Aragón-Cuevas
24. Nepal: the Historical Dalchowki Community Seed Bank
Bharat Bhandari, Surya Thapa, Krishna Sanjel and Pratap Shrestha
25. Nepal: the Community Seed Bank in Tamaphok
Dilli Jimi, Manisha Jimi and Pitambar Shrestha
26. Nicaragua: La Labranza No. 2 Community Seed Bank — ‘We are a Network'
Jorge Iran Vásquez Zeledón
27. Rwanda: the Rubaya Community Gene Bank
Leonidas Dusengemungu, Theophile Ndacyayisenga, Gloria Otieno, Antoine Ruzindana Nyirigira and Jean Rwihaniza Gapusi
28. Sri Lanka: The Haritha Udana Community Seed Bank in Kanthale
C. L. K. Wakkumbure and K. M. G. P. Kumarasinghe
29. Trinidad and Tobago: SJ Seed Savers
Jaeson Teeluck and Satie Boodoo
30. Uganda: The Kiziba Community Gene Bank
Mulumba John Wasswa, Rose Nankya, Catherine Kiwuka, Joyce Adokorach, Gloria Otieno, Marjorie Kyomugisha, Carlo Fadda and Devra I. Jarvis
31. United States of America: Native Seeds/SEARCH
Chris Schmidt
32. Burundi: Community Seed Banks and the Welthungerhilfe Program in Kirundo
Christian Ngendabanka, Godefroid Niyonkuru, Lucien D'Hooghe and Thomas Marx
33. Honduras: Community Seed Banks Established by Local Agricultural Research Committees
Orvill Omar Gallardo Guzmán, Carlos Antonio Ávila Andino, Marvin Joel Gómez Cerna, Mainor Guillermo Pavón Hernández and Gea Galluzzi
34. Nepal: LI-BIRD's Approach to Supporting Community Seed Banks
Pitambar Shrestha and Sajal Sthapit
35. Norway's Development Fund: Supporting Community Seed Banking Practices
Teshome Hunduma and Rosalba Ortiz
36. Spain: The Seed Network, Resembrando e Intercambiando
Members of the Red de Semillas
37. USC Canada's Experience in Supporting Community Seed Banks in Africa, Asia and the Americas
Sarah Paule Dalle and Susan Walsh
38. Zimbabwe: the Experience of the Community Technology Development Trust
Andrew T. Mushita, Patrick Kasasa and Hilton Mbozi
39. Brazil: Community Seed Banks and Brazilian Laws
Juliana Santilli
40. The Role of Community Seed Banks in Adaptation to Climate Change in Mesoamerica
Gea Galluzzi, Evert Thomas, Maarten van Zonneveld, Jacob van Etten and Marleni Ramirez
41. Nepal: Government Policies and Laws Related to Community Seed Banks
Pashupati Chaudhary, Rachana Devkota, Deepak Upadhyay and Kamal Khadka
42: Community Seed Banks in Mexico: An In Situ Conservation Strategy
Karina Sandibel Vera Sánchez, Rosalinda González Santos and Flavio Aragón-Cuevas
43. South Africa: a New Beginning for Community Seed Banks
Ronnie Vernooy, Bhuwon Sthapit, Mabjang Angeline Dibiloane, Nkat Lettie Maluleke Tovhowani Mukoma and Thabo Tjikana
44. Epilogue: Visions of the Future
Ronnie Vernooy, Bhuwon Sthapit and Pitambar Shrestha
Ronnie Vernooy is a Genetic Resources Policy Specialist at Bioversity International, Rome, Italy. Pitambar Shrestha is a Program Officer with Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Pokhara, Nepal. Bhuwon Sthapit is a Senior Scientist and Regional Project Coordinator for Bioversity International, based in Pokhara, Nepal.
