Sustainability (MDPI), 2024, 16, 8665
This peer-reviewed article examines the sustainability challenges faced by farmer-managed community seed banks and identifies promising strategies to strengthen their long-term viability. Drawing on primary fieldwork (focus groups and key informant interviews) in Kenya and Uganda and secondary data from India, Nepal, and South Africa (covering 2021–2024), the authors present five country case studies and synthesize five strategic pathways: value addition and income generation; nature-positive/agroecological production; enabling partnerships with national genebanks; national networking and digitalization; and modern low-cost seed-quality management technologies (e.g., hermetic storage, desiccants, hygrometers). The study describes practical measures tested in the five countries, initial results (including seed collections, participatory variety selection, seed-based products and small seed businesses, and digital portals), and remaining constraints—especially organizational capacity and the need for stronger policy and legal support. The article concludes with recommended capacities and policy actions to enable community seed banks to contribute to agrobiodiversity conservation, seed security and integrated seed sector development.
Key topics: community seed banks, agrobiodiversity, seed quality, value addition, nature-positive agriculture, national genebank partnership, digitalization, seed policy
