The Community Seed Banks (CSBs) are established in various districts across the country to collect, preserve and distribute the local seed varieties of different crops such as paddy, wheat, maize and vegetables to the farmers to promote the use of local seeds that are resistant to diseases and disasters.

The first Community Seed Bank was established in 2003 in Kachorwa village in Bara district by Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research, and Development (LI-BIRD) with the help of development partners and donor agencies to store local seed varieties that were losing their presence in the present day agriculture practice dominated by modern seeds.  

Similarly, in 2013, a national-level coordination committee of CSBs was formed which promotes the collection, documentation and utilisation of local seed to sustain the agriculture sector and discourage the use of improved and hybrid seeds.

Under the committee, there are 17 CSBs that are preserving over 1000 local seed varieties across the country.

A programme was organised on Tuesday to handover the local seeds preserved in various community-managed seed banks to National Gene Bank set up by the government to preserve the local breeds and promote the use of these seeds in agriculture sector.