What is the role of Community Seed Banks? Lessons from the COVID-19 epidemic.

Eleonora De Falcis, PhD. The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.

May 2020

The current COVID-19 pandemic effects go well beyond what we traditionally call a health crisis, affecting the global economy and supply chains in a significant manner. In this context, the agricultural sector plays, more than ever, a strategic role. The sector is one of the few running engines of the economy, an essential sector that strives to provide us with the diversity of products that we are used to have and that ensures the potential for proper nutrition at a time when we are particularly concerned about health. 

Global supply chains, however, have taken a hit. Labor shortages have limited global productive and commercial capabilities causing a contraction of supply and leading to price volatility. In addition, the uncertainty in the continuity of International Trade has particularly penalized the exchange of agricultural products due to more stringent border controls and sometimes even the setting of export restrictions.

Developing countries are the most exposed to a trade crisis in the agri-food sector, not only due to the fact that in many of these countries it represents a large part of their GDP (for some countries even half of it) and represents a significant share of their exports, but also because many of these countries are also net importers of agricultural products and food. Indeed, developing countries depend heavily on the international market for the supply of both finished products and production inputs and it is estimated that 17% of their population depends on imported food. A trade crisis can profoundly affect the entire economy of these countries, triggering and accentuating endemic issues.

Moreover, this health and economic crisis comes at a time when agricultural production is already being hit by climate change, which makes the economies that rely mainly on agriculture even more fragile. According to the Global Report on Food Crisis 2020 weather extremes and economic shocks have become increasingly significant as main drivers of food crises. The statistics reveal that weather extremes are the key factor in explaining food insecurity for over 34 million people across the globe.

For the agri-food system to thrive we need to understand the connection between the development of local systems, the protection of the environment and the international value chain. In this sense, actions carried out at the local level must be considered integral parts of the development of resilient production systems.

In my work at The Alliance, I had the opportunity to deepen my knowledge on the Community Seed Banks (CSB) model, a community model for the conservation and exchange of seeds between farmers. CSBs conserve seeds of crop varieties and ecotypes for specific local conditions, often disregarded by the market, and supports the creation of more resilient local food-systems thus becoming a major stabilizing factor in times such as these.

CSBs guarantee continuity in the supply and distribution of seeds - which represent one of the major agricultural inputs. They provide seeds suitable for the local conditions of both major crops as well as minor varieties, which often require less input and technical means for production. The CSBs guarantee and control the quality of the seeds - the first condition for a good harvest - and provide access to these seeds free of charge, thus subsidizing the single largest capital investment for such small scale operations. This model works because farmers that borrow seeds must return them at the end of the production cycle, replenishing seed stocks and making them available to other farmers. Harvests of local varieties through this model guarantee access to food for the most marginalized and fragile categories such as children, women and the elderly – who are also the most exposed to food insecurity.

Not only this, CSBs also promote greater agrobiodiversity. Product diversification shields farmers from price and production fluctuations of individual crops, favoring greater income stability and reduce their reliance on external inputs. Furthermore, this model promotes greater diversity in local diets and provides a certain degree of food independence.

Last but not least, farmers continue to conserve and select new genetic resources that are more resilient and suitable for local needs, thereby expanding the genetic resource base from which to draw on to cope with climate change or supply chain disruptions and keep agriculture productive. In fact, the conservation on-farm of genetic resources allows to give dynamism with respect to the environment and with respect to the changing needs of consumption and the market.

Given their importance, the continuity of CSB operations must be ensured, if possible, in a self-sustained manner. In the CSBs of Dolakha and Bara in Nepal, that I had the opportunity to visit, the offer of services includes providing forms of microcredit to farmers who can then make small investments, both in and off farm. A small interest rate is applied, which is used to finance the activity of the CSB. The expansion of the productive and economic functions, such as the credit function, are particularly important to make the CSB economically sustainable, reinforcing their role and ensuring that local agri-food systems are capable of satisfying the needs of their communities.

The CSB model can therefore constitute an efficient local solution to support the resilience of the production system. Its characteristics make it particularly interesting as a stabilizing factor that serves a social function, while guaranteeing the conservation of genetic resources. Supporting communities in the use of these self-sustained models will help mitigate the effects of this particular juncture and it also holds potential to be enhanced for future environmental and food challenges. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Alliance Bioversity International CIAT.