A step towards seed conservation in Africa
ICRISAT team at the seed bank. Photo: ICRISAT
A team from ICRISAT-Niamey genebank, visited a community-led seed bank in Tougouri village.
This seed bank is first of its kind in Burkina Faso. During the visit, the team interacted with farmers and expressed interest in collaborating with the seed bank in collection, conservation and regeneration of critical landraces at ICRISAT Sadoré station.
The seed bank is an initiative of local farmer groups and is supported by the Plants Genetic Resources Service of Burkina Faso. Thirty landraces are being stored in the seed bank which has a capacity for short to mid-term conservation. The bank also has an underground room, where panicles and pods of groundnut, pearl millet, sorghum and maize are conserved for 2-3 years.
The entire village participates in maintaining, organizing and managing the seed bank. The village elects a committee to take charge of the seed bank’s daily activities. After regeneration, excess seeds are distributed to farmers and priority is given to farmers who contribute to the seed bank.
ICRISAT’s regional genebank trains the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) partners in collection, seed multiplication and conservation activities.
The visit took place on 13 January and was organized in collaboration with the Institut National de l’Environnement et de la Recherche Agricole (INERA). g
For more information of ICRISAT’s role in biodiversity conservation, click here
