Community Seed Bank KU 2023

Community Seed Bank for Food Security and Agro-Biodiversity

Faculty of Agro-Industry , Bang Khen Campus

Details

This project focused on conserving and developing local crop genetic resources, particularly traditional rice, vegetables, and herbs threatened by commercial monoculture. The Faculty of Agriculture partnered with farmers and local knowledge holders to establish a “Community Seed Bank” housing over 120 traditional varieties, with a digital registry recording origin and traits.

Activities included training on seed selection and storage, farmer-to-farmer seed exchanges, and comparative trials between heirloom and commercial varieties on university plots. Findings indicated that several traditional varieties were more resistant to pests and diseases and required less fertilizer than hybrids.

First-year results included distributing seeds to 260 farming households, reducing dependence on commercial seeds and strengthening household food security. The project directly supports SDG 2 and SDG 15 and matches 2023 indicators 34 and 96.