Seeds in Farmers’ Hands, Power for the Planet” – Earth Day

FSN
Apr 25
6 min read

This year’s Earth Day theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” reminds us that the real force shaping the future of our planet doesn’t lie in distant technologies or lofty policies—it lives in the collective actions unfolding between you and me.

In the face of a worsening climate crisis and accelerating loss of biodiversity, the seemingly small acts of protecting the land, reducing emissions, and preserving diverse species and cultures are, in fact, powerful. These are the forces rooted in communities and collective care.

This “Earth Power” doesn’t only exist in faraway boardrooms—it also resides in the fields, within every seed lovingly saved and passed down by farmers.

The Earth Is Ailing, and Seed Diversity Is Fading

According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), approximately 75% of global crop genetic diversity has been lost over the past century. Many of these vanished local varieties once served as vital genetic reservoirs—adapted to diverse climates and environmental conditions.

Today, 75% of the world’s food supply relies on just 12 plant species and 5 animal species, with rice, wheat, and maize alone providing 60% of the plant-based calories consumed by humans. This heavy reliance on a narrow range of crops and genetic resources makes our global food system increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather, pests and diseases, and market fluctuations.

The loss of agricultural and food genetic diversity stems not only from shifts in farming technologies, but also from the narrowing of knowledge systems and the lack of policy support and social recognition for farmer-managed seed systems.

Sharp decline in U.S. heirloom vegetable varieties from 1903 to 1983. (National Geographic)

In China’s agricultural research and extension system, ex situ conservation through national seed gene banks has become a central strategy for preserving farmers’ seeds. To date, over 530,000 accessions of plant genetic resources—nearly 90% of which are local varieties—have been secured for long-term strategic storage and backup.

However, access to formal gene banks remains limited for smallholder farmers. These facilities often have high entry thresholds and rely on frozen storage conditions that are detached from the actual farming environment. They also struggle to keep up with changing consumer demands. To effectively promote sustainable agricultural transformation, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience within the context of rural revitalization, complementary mechanisms are urgently needed.

Community seed banks have emerged as a vital solution to bridge this gap. As a farmer-led, in situ and dynamic approach to conservation, they promote the active participation of smallholders in saving, using, and improving seeds. By linking scientific research, policy frameworks, and market opportunities, community seed banks help overcome barriers to seed access and innovation.

Rather than replacing formal gene banks, they offer a complementary strategy—a synergistic model of in situ conservation plus ex situ backup. This approach localizes seed systems and enhances genetic diversity, providing a resilient foundation for sustainable agriculture and rural regeneration. In this sense, community seed banks are often referred to as the “first seeds” of rural revitalization.

The FAO’s The Third Report on The State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (2025) officially recognizes community seed banks as a key mechanism for achieving in situ and on-farm conservation, affirming their strategic role in global food and agricultural systems.

**The Third Report on The State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (FAO)**

Community Seed Banks: Earth’s Power to Preserve Diversity

A community seed bank is a farmer- and community-led organization dedicated to the conservation and collective management of local agricultural genetic resources. Unlike ex situ gene banks that store seeds in frozen conditions, community seed banks focus on on-farm, living conservation. They not only meet farmers’ everyday seed needs, but also strengthen the resilience of local seed systems through diverse practices such as preservation, access, use, and participatory improvement.

A community seed bank is not just a storage facility—it is a dynamic and interconnected system of operations that supports the preservation, sharing, and continuity of locally adapted and culturally significant crop varieties.

What Problems Can Community Seed Banks Address?

Community Seed Banks Link with Gene Banks to Meet Diverse Needs

As a solution grounded in in situ and dynamic conservation, community seed banks complement the limitations of ex situ storage. Centered around the community, they preserve seeds through ongoing cultivation and renewal in their original environments. This approach ensures that seeds remain connected to local ecosystems, farmer knowledge, and cultural practices. At the same time, community seed banks are responsive to the real needs of diverse actors—including smallholder farmers and consumers.

**The seed bank in Stone Village is continuously maintained, planted, and enriched by farmer-breeder Zhang Xiuyun.**

Further Reading:

2+2”双重保护模式：种子资源的共享与传承 (The “2+2” Dual Conservation Model: Sharing and Passing on Seed Resources)

Community Seed Saving: Bridging Gaps in Cultural Heritage and Resilience

In an interview, Dr. Yang Yongping, a researcher at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, emphasized the importance of farmer-managed seed systems:

“Although farmer seed systems hold immense potential, they are under increasing pressure from mainstream technologies and policy agendas. These systems have long lacked institutional support and social recognition. This is exactly where community seed banks can make a difference—not simply as storage facilities, but as community-centered systems that integrate agriculture, ecology, and culture.”

Dr. Yang further pointed out that seed-saving efforts by farmers should be understood as part of a broader cultural and social system. They must be supported from the perspectives of rural revitalization and local cultural continuity, rather than being judged solely through scientific or productivity-based lenses.

Across the mountainous regions of southwest China, many farmers are now returning to and cultivating traditional dryland and understory crops—once neglected, but now seen as essential for adapting to climate change. These “old varieties” are not only valuable for their genetic traits, but more importantly, they embody local knowledge and farmers’ seed sovereignty.

Community seed banks serve as vital platforms to restore, share, and revitalize the value of these seeds, ensuring their continued role in resilient and culturally grounded agricultural systems.

The household vegetable gardens in Stone Village, Lijiang, Yunnan Province in southwestern China, always maintain a rich diversity. (Photo: Mi Lin)

Not archiving, but continuing. Not just displaying, but revitalizing.

The establishment of community seed banks aims to address the gap between “preservation” and “use,” ensuring that agricultural biodiversity continues to thrive in everyday life and production.

Through community seed banks, we observe how farmers preserve local varieties, exchange and cooperate across communities, and collaborate with researchers to improve seeds so they can adapt to future climates and soils.

In recent years, the number of community seed banks has increased significantly, emerging in 16 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions across the country, forming a nationwide network for the protection of farm seeds. This reflects the vitality and adaptability of the community seed bank model, which not only promotes the concept of seed preservation but also accumulates a wealth of diverse, in-situ conservation practices.

Earth Force Activists: Farmers and Communities

Many of the managers of community seed banks are women, elderly people, and community groups. They remember which seeds are suitable for which soils, how to sow and harvest, and how to store and exchange them. This local knowledge is no less valuable than laboratory data—it is equally important and embedded in everyday life.

The Community Seed Bank of Youmi Village in Lijiang (Photo: Yuting)

Community seed banks are taking root in many forms, happening vibrantly in fields and farmlands: In the Naxi and Mosuo communities of Yunnan, people exchange seeds and plant them in their home gardens, ensuring that every meal has seeds and cultivation; in the Yao villages of Guangxi, it has become a habit for the elderly to save and exchange seeds; in the eastern regions, where there are more new farmers, many young people are curious about land and seeds, and are actively engaging in seed preservation practices.

The Farmers’ Seed Network will continue to organize lectures and training to raise awareness about the importance of in-situ conservation, moving from “passing down through generations” to “learning together across generations.”