Community Seed Banks Origins, Evolution and Prospects

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

Biography

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.