All around the world, farmers and their communities are struggling to maintain crop diversity, in particular of farmer varieties.
Diversity is disappearing or under pressure due to the commercialization of agriculture, expansion of the industrial food sector, monopolization of seed production and/or recurring natural disasters, most notably droughts, floods and hurricanes. Farmers also face the impact of climate change.
Solution
Crop diversity plays a key role in farmers’ livelihoods: a source of food and nutrition, a buffer to environmental disturbances, a cultural or spiritual treasure. Community seedbanks are forms of collective action to withstand and counter crop diversity loss.