Ethiopia’s seed banks and the search for food security

The community seed bank in Chefe Donsa, Ethiopia, collects and preserves the seeds of local crops to ensure farmers have a steady supply of seeds to sow each year. The Chefe Donsa seed bank is just one of 13 established in different climatic areas of the country. The nation’s central seed bank, which the Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity set up in Addis Ababa, helps researchers and farmers retain agricultural biodiversity. By preserving this, researchers hope to strengthen food security in the country and mitigate the risk of famine, which is increasing due to climate change-related droughts.