Farmers’ seed systems and the conservation of agrobiodiversity in South Africa: the establishment and support of Community Seed Banks

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), together with Bioversity International and provincial governments of Limpopo, Eastern Cape and North-West provinces of South Africa, implemented a project aiming to strengthen farmers’ seed systems through Community Seed Banks (CSBs) and participation of farmers in national PGRFA conservation programmes. The initial project started in 2013 with a duration of three years; funding was then extended in order to spread the efforts to other parts of the country and to expand the activities towards crop improvement/Participatory Plant Breeding with participating farmers/communities. Core components included (1) Consultation with provincial extension services and farmers; (2) surveys of PGRFA availability; (3) establishment of CSBs; (4) training of farmers; and (5) monitoring CSB activities. Three CSBs were established, and traditional food/seed fairs were conducted; seed exchange among farmers from different provinces was facilitated and farmers were trained in CSB management. The accumulated experiences of establishing and supporting those three CSBs in South Africa have been used as input for the development of two manuals on CSBs for different target audiences. The importance of involving stakeholders from the initial planning process and throughout the implementation process was recognized.