Does your community need a seed bank?
Date Posted: June 23rd, 2008
This week’s top story discussed the value of traditional crops and mentioned some methods that farmers use to preserve and promote traditional varieties. This week’s script, from Package 56, provides more detail about one of these methods – a community seed bank. The script explains that a community seed bank protects local crops, which may be rare or especially well adapted to local conditions, and is an emergency seed source if crops fail due to disease, pests, or bad weather.
You can also find this script online at:
http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/56-5script_en.asp
If you air this script, you may wish to use the following companion scripts, as well. These describe how to organize people to participate in the bank, how to collect the seeds, and how to store the seeds in the
bank:
-“Starting a community seed bank” (Package 56, Script 6, July 2000)
-“Collecting seeds for a community seed bank” (Package 56, Script 7, July
2000)
-“Storing seeds in a community seed bank” (Package 56, Script 8, July 2000)
