Abstract
Community Seed Banks (CSBs) have been established in many developing countries to improve small-scale farmers’ access to crop genetic resources and thereby their food security. However, empirical evidence of the effects on farmers’ food security remains scarce. This study focuses on Malawi, where the NGO Biodiversity Conservation Initiative has facilitated the operation of four CSBs. Among these, Mkombezi CSB was selected for in-depth analysis, as a case of a well-established CSB carrying out typical activities of a CSB, such as conserving a rich diversity of crop varieties, enhancing the performance of selected varieties, enabling access to relatively high-quality seed of the varieties, arranging seed and food fairs, capacity building in agricultural practices responding to the effects of climate change, as well as trainings in group dynamics and gender relations relevant to food production and the operation of the CSB. Three questions guide this study: (1) Does Mkombezi CSB contribute to food security? (2) If so, how? (3) Under what conditions may the findings be relevant for other CSBs in Malawi and elsewhere? The analysis builds on qualitative information from 43 semi-structured in-depth interviews, two focus-group discussions and 24 key informant interviews. We find that Mkombezi CSB contributes decisively to improving food security among its members as well as helping them to cope with lean seasons and unexpected shocks. Overall, this study indicates that under certain conditions, CSBs may contribute considerably to food security.
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Data availability
All interviews have been transcribed; the records are stored with the FNI in accordance with the Institute’s data management procedures.
Notes
‘Severely food insecure’: In a common year, households have seasonal deficits in quantity of food for more than 4 months of the year and consistently do not consume a diet of adequate quality. household livelihoods are very marginal and are not resilient. Households are likely to have severely stunted children. (IPC, 2021).
In an average year, households experience mild deficits in food quantity and or seasonal food quantity deficits for 2 to 4 months of the year. Household livelihoods are marginally sustainable, and their resilience to shock is very limited. (IPC, 2021).
Agronomic practices: manure preparation and application, soil and water conservation, conservation of agriculture, agroforestry, good weed control, pest and disease management and leadership training.
Nsima: staple carbohydrate dish of the region: a thick porridge made from cassava, corn, or other starchy flour.
Interviews with BCI staff confirmed that the four enhanced maize varieties were kafula, lokolo, kampalapati and bingo.
Loans were for buying food during the lean season, medical care, and school items for children.
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Acknowledgements
This article was produced as part of the research project Pathways to Food Security, Poverty Alleviation and Livelihoods Through the Implementation of Farmers’ Rights to Crop Genetic Diversity (DIVERSIFARM), conducted by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) in collaboration with partners in South Africa, Ethiopia, Nepal, Germany, and Norway, with funding from the Research Council of Norway (NFR project grant no. 302631). We are grateful for valuable comments on this article from Dr Godwin Mkamanga, Executive Director of Biodiversity Conservation Initiative (BCI) and from two anonymous reviewers. We also wish to thank Professor Ruth Haug, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, who guided Viviana Meixner Vásquez during the first phase of this research. Our special thanks go to all interviewees in Malawi, who generously shared their knowledge and experience for this study with Viviana Meixner Vásquez.
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This research is funded by the Research Council of Norway, Research Grant No. 302631 for the research project Pathways to Food Security, Poverty Alleviation and Livelihoods Through the Implementation of Farmers’ Rights to Crop Genetic Diversity (DIVERSIFARM), conducted by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in collaboration with partners in South Africa, Ethiopia, Nepal, Germany, and Norway.
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Viviana Meixner Vásquez is a Researcher and Regine Andersen is a Research Director and Research Professor.
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Meixner Vásquez, V., Andersen, R. Community seed banks: Instruments for food security or unsustainable endeavour? A case study of Mkombezi Community Seed Bank in Malawi. Food Sec. 15, 1087–1108 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-023-01374-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-023-01374-4