Community Seed Bank Labs – Workshop funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ project Seeds of Growth (Project ID: KA210-ADU-1727BE52)
This presentation introduces Magház, a Hungarian community seed network focused on agrobiodiversity and seed saving. Founded informally in 2012 and formalised as an NGO in 2021, Magház comprises 18 core members and about 130 network members, operating 13+1 independent seed hubs across the country (gardens, small-scale farms and other local sites). The network maintains over 800 open‑pollinated varieties including landraces and engages in cooperation with the national gene conservation bank’s on‑farm programme. Key activities include seed swaps, seed saving courses, workshops, online educational materials (e.g. Seed Swap ‘Rules’, How To Organise a Seed Swap? in Hungarian), conservation education, and awareness raising. Magház participates in international projects such as COEVOLVERS (Horizon Europe, Oct 2022–Oct 2026, consortium partner) and Seeds of Change (Erasmus+, Jan 2025–Dec 2026, partner: FUG Graz), and has past collaborations including Salvia Foundation, Dynaversity, Farmer’s Pride and Arche Noah. The presentation outlines the network structure, operation of hubs, regular meetings (monthly/bi-monthly Zoom plus an annual in-person meeting), and channels for contact and outreach (maghaz.hu, maghazblog.blog.hu, @maghaz_hu).
Key topics: community seed network, agrobiodiversity, seed saving, seed swaps, community seed hubs, conservation education, Horizon Europe, Erasmus+
