Community seed banks for maintaining genetic diversity

A community seed bank functions very much like a commercial bank. The transfers are, however, not in money but in seeds. Any inhabitant of the villages that a seed bank serves can become a member of the seed bank by paying a nominal annual fee. Seeds of food crops that are stored in the bank are provided free of charge to members of a seed bank. The member then sows the seed and after harvesting the crop, returns double the amount of seeds to the seed bank. This article describes the experiences of the GREEN Foundation in southern India. Successful results have shown that seed banks are not just a store where seeds of traditional varieties of food crops are kept for distribution to farmers. More than this, they are an important self-help strategy for maintaining genetic diversity in crop and plant species on farms.