Community Seed Banks affects On Climate Change Adaption
Climate Change
Food Security
Global Warming resulting in:
Severe droughts
Floods
Threat to food production
Adapting to climate change:
Exploit genetic sources of resistance
Biotic stress (living)
Abiotic stress (non-living)
Inter-crop genetic diversity
Intra-crop genetic diversity
Switching to more resilient crops
I.e., Maize to millets in rain-stressed areas
Participatory plant breeding
Access
Availability
Agricultural Implications
Community seed banks
What is it?
Improvement of crop diversity during minimization of species as a result of climate change
Issues:
Threats to industry
Place to exchange knowledge on topics such as climate change and seed preservation
erratic rainfall
severe droughts
increased temperatures
unpredictable crop seasons
Further consequences (AGR130)
Resilient, agricultural strategies to tackle such
Seed banks key functions
nutritional poverty (Shiva)
lessened quantity/quality of yields
disease/pest susceptibility
erosion
Dire need for seed saving initiatives
diverse seed/planting material access/availability
plant genetic resources conservation
better adapted varieties of same crop
formal sector crop improvement programmes
utilize inter/intra cropping
Multiplication & distribution of most resilient seeds
Battle for policy support
exploit genetic sources of resistance to:
biotic stresses
abiotic stresses
participatory plant breeding
champion open-seed polination (Shiva)
switch to more resilient crops
maize to millet in rain-stressed areas
flooding
Uganda:
re-valorize native, neglected crops
those w/ good adaptation potential
broaden, intensify, collection of crop wild relatives
better targeted plant breeding
Forge better linkages between in/ex situ conservation activities
Annually held, participatory exchanges at local, supra-local levels
access novelty seeds
access seeds that have been adapted to extreme weather
Uganda: farmer's return 2x the seeds to bank after harvest
climate change resilient kept species' factors
non-climate change related variables
colour
early-maturing
pest/disease tolerance
yield stability
use in cultural festivals
nutritional value
taste
medicinal purposes
marketability
increased temperatures
erratic rainfall
improve access to quality seeds
with regards to seeds, allow farmer's to:
save
sell
exchange
discourage corporate controlled globalized markets & their 'biopiracies' in attempting to engineer resilience! (Shiva)
"Coping with climate change - the roles of genetic resources for food and agriculture" (Amber)
provision of seeds to marginalized/needy communities
produce
Diversification at species and variety levels
Seed Sovereignty!
revaluation of plant species that have been underutilized/neglected
Broadening/Intensifying the collection, characterization, and utilization of crop wild relatives
Better targeted plant breeding
Forging better links between in situ and ex situ conservation activities
More policy support to improve access to improved seeds
Allow farmers to produce, save, exchange, and sell seeds
Reduce disease incidence and risks related to climate change (Jarvis et al.2011a)
Reduce the vulnerability to pest and disease infestations in the future caused by changing climate conditions.
Interventions supporting on-farm crop conservation as a way to respond to climate change (Bellon and van Etten (2014))
Establishment of a global information system that reports changes in adaptation and evolution processes
enables the localization of new crop genes and genotypes
Improve community-based seed saving/storage practices
Safeguarding seeds of plants that survive under extreme weather conditions
Locally governed and managed institution
Core function: Maintain seeds for local use (Development Fund 2011)
Lack of legal recognition
Scarce financial resources
Three key functions: (Vernooy et al. 2014)
Seed and food sovereignty
Access and availability of diverse seeds and planting materials according to farmers needs and interests
Conservation of plant genetic resources
Some strictly focus on conservation of agricultural biodiversity
Minas Gerais, Brazil
Activities relevant to climate change adaptation:
Under conservation these are:
Under access and availability:
Conservation of seeds from plants that have high capacity to survive under extreme weather conditions
Restoration of "lost" varieties
Conservation of a portfolio of diverse seeds and crop varieties
Platform for multiple channels of access and availability of seeds at the community level
Accessing novel diversity not conserved locally
Accessing seeds from areas where plants have adapted to extreme weather conditions
Provision of adapted seed to marginal communities not served by commercial seed dissemination efforts
Plan to multiply and distribute the most resistant varieties at local and supra-local levels (Alvarenga and Dayrell 2015)
diverse seed selection
Foster Locally & Supra-local seed exchange
In 2014, community seed bank provided seed to 904 farmers in more than 10 villages
Totaling seven tons of seeds
Prior to this, local varieties had been lost due to:
Climate change
Increased susceptibility to pests and diseases
Lack of marketing opportunities
5 roles:
Facilitating capacity building of farmers and communities in the production of quality seeds
Multiplying seeds of local varieties that are rare/unique or less available to farmers, making them available every season
Assessing diverse materials for different functional traits
Conserving seeds of local bean varieties in situ
Providing diverse seeds of good quality that have potential to adapt to climate change
Early maturity
Drought tolerance
2015 survey of 66 respondents stating farmers experiencing noticeable climate change
Unreliable rainfall patterns
Reduced rainfall amounts
Unpredictable cropping seasons
Temperature spikes
Among 21 bean varieties
Kiziba farmers prioritize 5 varieties as most important for climate change adaptation for being:
Early maturing
Resistant to most pest
Drought resistant
Named: Nambale, Kakira, Akeru, NABE 14, and Kankuryemabrukye purple
Continuous on-farm experiment
Access to broad genetic portfolio
Best varieties for local conditions
buffer against climate change
Continuous data
Promote longevity of seeds
Prioritize seeds that have adapted to extreme weather conditions
Lower costs
Low moisture
Zeolite beads
Cold storage
Multi-country innitiatives
Genetic resiliance
Seeds for needs
Digital innovations
Geographical information systems (GIS) & Technology
Allows farmers to share data
Directly uploaded to genetic database
collect large amounts of data
Facilitates access to information
Merge & analyze data from various different trials
Allows for smaller trials - requires less resources
Real-life data (collected from farmers)
Becoming more popular in seed banks as they can be re-used multiple times
as efficient as cold storage, but does not rely on power