Challenge Fund Grant: “Bridging Cultures Through Seeds – Czech Seed Library Inspiration Spreads to Georgia”
This manual presents a practical methodology for establishing and running community seed libraries (semínkové knihovny) based on eight years of experience with the Semínkovna initiative in the Czech Republic (2015–2024). It explains what seed libraries are, contrasts them with seed banks, and describes their roles in conserving locally adapted, non-hybrid seed, promoting seed saving, education and community building. The guide provides step‑by‑step advice on founding a seed library (location, sourcing seed, rules, packaging and labelling), outreach, events, volunteer management, budgeting and visual identity, and includes legal notes on Czech seed and phytosanitary legislation. The publication documents practical initiatives and pilots such as the Patron semínek 2024 campaign and Czech–Moldovan seed library activities, and lists contacts, project funders and credits. The manual was published by the Semínkovna association within the Challenge Fund project “Bridging Cultures Through Seeds.”
Key topics: seed libraries, community seed banks, seed saving, agrobiodiversity, seed exchange, Semínkovna, Czech seed legislation
