The Community Seed Bank is one of the methods used to protect crops and horticulture, and is said to have been established to ensure crop security due to the drought in Ethiopia in the 1970s.

The new project, implemented mainly by the Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity and the Directorate of Crop and Horticulture Biodiversity, is being implemented with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The project is named as National Community Seed Bank Platform for Strengthening Informal Seed System in Ethiopia.

Melese Mario (Dr.), Director General of the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, said there are about 30 community seed banks under the institute. He added that keeping the existing crops in the hands of the farmers is multifaceted.

Project Coordinator Tamene Yohannes (Dr.) gave an overview of the project. According to the coordinator, the purpose of the project is to support the work of community seed banks, facilitate their connection with each other and exchange experiences.

According to the project coordinator, the project is one of the activities undertaken by researching and replacing lost crops, increasing women’s participation and making farmers more productive.

Finally, questions and constructive comments from the forum participants were answered.