For Mrs. Fervent Ngandu, a farmer from Chikankata, seed saving is more than a practice, it is knowledge passed down through generations. “I learnt about saving groundnuts from my mother,” she shared. She explains that her mother taught her never to consume the entire harvest, but to set some aside for the next season. Today, Mrs. Ngandu maintains her own small household seed bank, planting from it each year and keeping extra seed stored in case drought affects her fields.
For her, this simple practice is more than tradition. “It’s my safety net,” she says. She adds, “This practice is important because it gives power to the farmer. The seed needs to be in the hands of the farmer; anytime they want to use it, it will be readily available. A farmer should always be ready, once the rains come, they should plant immediately.”
Stories like hers reflect the foundation on which Community Seed Banks are built. “The real seed bank first exists in each household, where families save, stock, and protect seed for the coming year,” says CTDT Director, Mr. Charles Nkhoma. “When communities bring these seeds together and build collective seed banks, they strengthen their ability to access a wider range of crops and varieties, especially those that individual households may not have.”
He emphasizes that farmers should always have the right to choose which crops they cultivate, and that this choice should remain unhindered. “Modern plant breeding depends on the diversity that already exists in farmers’ hands,” he notes. “Cultural traditions of sharing and reusing seed must be supported and promoted, not restricted,” he added.
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