Namibia's first community seed bank opened its doors at Sharukwe village in Kavango West. 

The project, which cost more than N$500,000 to set up, was funded by GIZ, MTC, and the Environmental Investment Fund.

Community Seed Banks are used to collect, store, and protect local seeds. 

Community seed banks can help farmers access seeds to grow crops during the next planting season, or they can be used as an emergency seed supply when crops are damaged and destroyed. 

Seed Coordinator at the SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre, Tilabilenji Phiri, says, "The establishment of this community seed bank will go a long way in maintaining and protecting plant diversity in the Kavango West and also promote indigenous knowledge sharing in the communities." 

Community seed banks offer seeds that are tailored to local growing conditions and are also an opportunity to exploit the institutional memory of successive farming generations.

"Now more than ever, global trends have changed. We've been introduced rapidly to global warming. We've got floods and droughts, and as much as we speak about smart farming or smart crop production, we now also have to talk about preserving those fruits that we eat today and ensuring that the very same people who allowed us to see the ways of living in the past also enjoy the same."

Even though Namibia is only starting with its first community seed banks in 2023, neighbouring countries like Zambia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have been preserving their seeds for years, with the latter having 26 community seed banks already. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism is now looking at setting up more of these gene banks. 

"The Ministry is going to continue to establish this type of infrastructure; we are planning to construct one in Kavango East and around the Ndiyona area, then another one in Omusati, and another one in the Oshikoto Region in the coming five years."

Community members will run the seed bank with assistance from the constituency office.