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Seed Saving

Seeds naturally have a place in almost any endeavor having to do with agricultural development. Seeds represent the promise of a continued supply of food, nutrition, and ecosystem improvement for farmers. Seed sovereignty and access are vital to farm survival. Distributing improperly stored seeds that germinate poorly exposes farmers and communities to the risk of crop failure and culture and heritage loss. ECHO's informational and training resources focus on low-cost methods and appropriate technologies for multiplying, processing, and storing seeds of crops selected for their potential to succeed in local contexts. ECHO's resources and training focus on appropriate seed saving techniques including

  • seed selection
  • seed multiplication
  • maintaining seed purity
  • seed drying
  • seed storage basics

If you are interested in resources on seed storage and banking please see our seed banking collection. 

 

 

  1. Seed Saving: Steps & Technologies

    Key Resource
    2010-06-01 Seeds naturally have a place in almost any endeavor having to do with agricultural development. Seeds of most food plants are small and, as such, are more easily transported and can be shipped longer distances than vegetative cuttings. For the farmer, seeds represent the promise of a continued...
    Seeds Seed Saving Seed Storage Seed Systems Seed Drying Seed Production Seed Germination Seed Selection Seed

  2. ECHO Asia Impact Center partner spotlight - the Kahelu Center

    The ECHO Asia Impact Center is staffed by the most dedicated and hardworking people! We would like to introduce you to our partner in Myanmar, the Kahelu Center! This partner has done a tremendous job developing an excellent seed banking facility. It is the desire of ECHO Asia to partner with...
    Seed Saving Asia

  3. Manual of Seed Handling in Genebanks

    2006-01-20 Seeds conserved in genebanks are a vital and irreplaceable resource for safeguarding future agricultural options. The capacity of genebank staff to apply good standards for seed handling is hence of critical importance. This is the standard reference for genebank work and one of the few sources...
    Seeds Seed Saving Genebanks plants Seed Testing Seed Treatment Seed technology

  4. Are my seeds dry enough?

    2017-07-17 Protecting the viability of seeds during storage can be a difficult task in the tropics, which often have high temperatures and high relative humidity. In May of 2017, ECHO hosted a seed saving workshop at our Global Farm in North Fort Myers, Florida. Both in preparation for and during this...
    Seed Storage Seed Moisture Seed Drying

  5. Biology of Seed Saving for Cambodia Workshop

    2018-08-05
    Seed Saving Asia

  6. Seed Saving Resources

    The Community Seed Network’s mission is to support community-led seed stewardship by offering a platform to connect people to projects, projects to each other, and everyone to seed. Through great conversations and the sharing of resources, we hope to make this work visible locally, regionally,...
    Seed Saving

  7. Teaching Seed Saving to Diverse Audiences

    2019-10-04 How do you teach and equip an audience ofrural farmers, development workers, or seasoned professors, or all threeaudiences at the same time about saving seeds? Come learn and share tips and tools in training diverse audiencesabout the basics of seed saving and seed banking.
    Seed Saving Asia

  8. Saving Your Own Vegetable Seeds

    2007-01-20 Seed saving is surprisingly easy with some vegetables, possible but somewhat difficult for others, and almost impossible for still other vegetable crops. It would help to know what the issues are; some basic techniques for seed saving; and which vegetables are easy and which are more difficult.
    Vegetables Seed Seed Saving

  9. TOAM - Seeds of Freedom

    This video was provided by Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) to tell the story of seed independence. Swahili with English Subtitles
    Seed Security East Africa

  10. Seed Saving and the Role of Community Seed Libraries in Light of Climate Adaptation

    2019-10-04 The more than 7000 islands that comprise the Philippine archipelago is vastly rich in natural resources and is considered one of only 17 mega-biodiverse regions in the world. Diversity is a recurring theme in these islands as the people speak more than 130 different languages, sublanguages and...
    Seed Saving Seed industry and ... Seed Systems Asia

  11. Learning about and from Local Seed Systems

    2019-04-26 At ECHO’s 2014 International Agriculture Conference, Dr. Laura Meitzner Yoder gave a plenary talk titled “Planting Connections: Learning from local seed systems and fostering community seed exchange.” The talk was based on collaborative work that was done by the following: Rick Burnette, ECHO...
    Tropical Seeds ECHO Resources EDN Seed Systems Seed industry and ... Seed Exchange Seed Fair Seed Selection Seed Production

  12. A New Way To Preserve Viability of Seed In Remote Locations

    1997-07-19 Savingseed is a problem for farmers in hot, humid climates. It is even more of a problem for community, mission, or government seedbanks that must preserve seed for long time periods in remote locations without refrigeration. We believe the work of Dr. D. K. Pandey in India may be a breakthrough...
    Seed Saving Seed Bank

  13. The Value of a Seed: Growing a Network of Community Level Seed Banks in Asia

    2018-09-20 As an organization that seeks to equip people with agricultural resources and skills, we often find ourselves coming back to the seed. Again and again we witness the value of saving open-pollinated seeds, shedding light on locally adapted and underutilized plants of merit, and researching...
    Asia

  14. Recap of Options for Storing Grains

    2023-01-06 Spoilage of stored grain is a major obstacle for smallholder farmers around the world. This article leans on the expertise of Dr. Floyd Dowell (an Agricultural Engineer retired from USDA Center for Grain and Animal Health Research) and highlights some of the options covered in previous ECHO...
    Seed Storage Seed Saving

  15. Low-Cost Seed Storage Technologies

    2023-07-13 This article summarizes ECHO research published in Experimental Agriculture by Trail et al. (2022).Many smallholder farmers in the tropics do not have electricity or access to equipment for climate-controlled seed storage. There are, however, low-cost technologies that can be used instead. The...
    Seed Storage Seed technology Vacuum Sealing Seed Saving

  16. AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center Seed Saving Videos

    The World Vegetable Center, as the name implies, focuses on vegetables to reduce poverty and malnutrition. Their website has numerous, helpful resources and publications. Among them are videos on how to save vegetable seed. They cover amaranth, eggplant, nightshade (see EDN 103), pumpkin and...
    Seed Seeds Seed Saving Seed Storage

  17. How to save eggplant seed

    Knowing the correct procedure for saving seed is a valuable skill for small-scale vegetable farmers. Saving seed allows farmers to: save money on inputs maintain local landraces and varieties build a local source of seed in areas lacking access to seed distributors exchange seed with fellow...
    eggplant

  18. Saving NIGHTSHADE seed

    Knowing the correct procedure for saving seed is a valuable skill for small-scale vegetable farmers. Saving seed allows farmers to: save money on inputs maintain local landraces and varieties build a local source of seed in areas lacking access to seed distributors exchange seed with fellow...
    Nightshade

  19. Saving TOMATO seed

    Knowing the correct procedure for saving seed is a valuable skill for small-scale vegetable farmers. Saving seed allows farmers to: save money on inputs maintain local landraces and varieties build a local source of seed in areas lacking access to seed distributors exchange seed with fellow...
    Tomatoes

  20. Saving pumpkin seed

    Knowing the correct procedure for saving seed is a valuable skill for small-scale vegetable farmers. Saving seed allows farmers to: save money on inputs maintain local landraces and varieties build a local source of seed in areas lacking access to seed distributors exchange seed with fellow...
    Pumpkin

  21. Saving AMARANTH seed

    Knowing the correct procedure for saving seed is a valuable skill for small-scale vegetable farmers. Saving seed allows farmers to: save money on inputs maintain local landraces and varieties build a local source of seed in areas lacking access to seed distributors exchange seed with fellow...
    Amaranth

  22. How to Facilitate Seed Exchanges During Country Meetings or as a Single-Day Event

    2013-03-20 This article is from ECHO Asia Note #16 Since 2011, ECHO Asia has developed and facilitated seed exchange events during meetings with local partners. Through conversations with farmers and NGO staff, we have gained better insight about locally-important plant varieties, seed saving practices,...
    Asia

  23. Seed Saving in the Tropics: Lessons Learned from the Network

    This article is from ECHO Asia Note #28 For both farmers and researchers in the tropics, seed saving can be very frustrating. In Mondulkiri province, farmers are rarely able to keep seed for more than the six months between harvest and the new planting season. Seeds stored longer than this tend...
    Asia

  24. Global Seed Savers

    Global Seed Savers is an educational and advocacy international non-profit organization supporting smallholder farmers in creating local food sovereignty and fostering a healthy environment through technical training and the establishment of community-owned and operated seed libraries.
    Philippines Asia

  25. The Heirloom Collard Project

    Seed Savers Exchange Heritage Farm Join Chris Smith, Ira Wallace, Melissa DeSa, and Norah Hummel to learn more about the collaborative Heirloom Collard Project! The Heirloom Collard Project aims to build a coalition of seed stewards, gardeners, farmers, chefs and seed companies working to...

  26. SWISSAID - SWTA 5 - Kitini cha kilimo hai Upatikanaji wa mbegu

    2019-11-20 Mbegu ni moja ya pembejeo kuu za uzalishaji wa chakula. Wakulima duniani kote wamekuwa wakijua jambo hili kwa karne nyingi. Mamilioni ya familia na jamii za kilimo wamefanya kazi ya kuchagua mbegu na kuzitunza kwa ajili ya matumizi ya msimu wa kilimo unaofuata. Hii ndio imeruhusu kilimo kuenea na...

  27. Crowdbreeding Approach to New Open Pollinated Tomatoes: The Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project

    Seed Savers Exchange Heritage Farm This colorful, info-packed workshop will tell the ongoing story of a unique, collaborative breeding project that began as an idea between two gardening friends in 2005. Combining the short stature of determinate varieties (such as Taxi and Southern Night) and...
    Crowdbreeding

  28. Somos Semilla, Seed Library

    SOMOS Semilla Seed Library brings education and food sovereignty to the community, strengthening the long-term health of our environment through seed saving. Our work is interconnected to a growing international movement of free seed advocates. The Challenge Quality organic seeds adapted to this...
    Seed Systems Seed Library Latin America and ...

  29. Seed systems smallholder farmers use

    Abstract, Food Security, 2016 Seed can be an important entry point for promoting productivity, nutrition and resilience among smallholder farmers. While investments have primarily focused on strengthening the formal sector, this paper documents the degree to which the informal sector remains the...
    Seed Systems

  30. Seed System Security Assessment e-Course

    This e-Learning course walks participants through the Seed System Security Assessment (SSSA) process and then focuses on targeted responses, depending on the key constraints identified. The 8 modules are highly interactive: participants explore how to: collect key data, decide if farming...
    Seed Systems

  31. Crop Trust

    THE GLOBAL ROLE OF THE CROP TRUST In 1996, after long negotiations, 150 countries adopted the firstGlobal Plan of Action(GPA) for conserving and using crop diversity. The GPA called for a rational global conservation system, based on the principles of effectiveness, efficiency and transparency....
    Bioversity Biodiversity CGIAR