Seeds to Keep and Seeds to Share

Community seed banks – locally governed and managed, mostly informal, institutions whose core function is to maintain seeds for local use (Development Fund, 2011; Shrestha et al., 2012; Sthapit, 2013) – have been around for about 30 years. They have been designed and implemented to conserve, restore, revitalize, strengthen and improve local seed systems, and most are especially, but not solely, focused on local crop varieties. They handle major crops, minor crops and so-called neglected and underutilized species. Community seed banks seek to regain, maintain and increase the control of farmers and local communities over seeds and to strengthen or establish dynamic forms of cooperation among farmers, and between farmers and others involved in the conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity (Vernooy, 2013; see also Taylor, Chapter 38 of this Handbook).