Improving the identification, handling and storage of “difficult” seeds ...

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Seychelles – Training of seed bank managers
Training on inventory of seed species, inventory of PGRFA, needs taxonomists
Short term training needed for inventory so as to keep the Genebank operational
Need to train on preventative maintenance, changing filters and keeping in running order
South Africa- Training on data base management skills
Problem with management of genebank, technicians in pathology have to work in genebank,
However money and facilities are available but not effectively utilized as high concentration is
on research and not on genebank management.
Zimbabwe- Needs one trained taxonomists, however there has been training going on with the
Herbarium staff
All Genebanks – requires trained staff on genebank equipment maintenance
SPGRC – need to have standard equipment from few companies and need to allow programme
to be established with several institutions.
Need to use same make through out region, this will allow easier maintenance and repairs.
Need to provide regional training for several institutions.
General comments on training:
▪ Would like to see staff more well defined, staff at the moment have to be good at everything,
need specialize in germ testing, seed handling, policy, equipment maintenance, researchers all
lumped together.
▪ Opportunity for seed pathology course in Denmark, course has since been moved to Tanzania,
focus on Africa.
▪ Focussing on training individuals is more risky, need to train people with different backgrounds,
promote short course training. Long term training not sustainable, as it makes people more
marketable. Short training empowers people to do job instantly. Short courses will be
sufficient for new staff.
3. How can seed technologists/scientists support on-farm conservation
▪ Awareness campaigns on the importance of conserving landraces, e.g. conserving cultural
values, nutritional values, adapted materials to low fertile soils and drought tolerance.
▪ Seed technologists need to be carrying out more research with the farmers on different species
on farm and not in lab. Will have more positive results.
▪ Need to educate/raise awareness in seed handling for farmers. Processing techniques to
reproduce high quality seed right through the cropping cycle. Also control of pests and diseases.
Technologists can be looking at storage techniques, handling bulk.
▪ Expertise on seeds can be used to support on-farm conservation
▪ Conservation from harvesting time to storage, resources wasted in traditional methods. Train
farmer on better post harvest handling techniques
▪ Appropriate technology e.g. integrated pest management and not wasting resources on
herbicides and pesticides if these can be overcome in other ways.
▪ Need to link with crop production with market, cooperatives that do product value addition and
marketable outputs.
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Scientists can help to identify opportunities
Farmers are denied rights, need to be involved in developing material, instead of material being
used by corporate companies, need to be directly involved in varieties. Good varieties may be
produced out of their material through participatory varietal selection; this has already been
carried out in India and Nepal. Need to learn from other networks that are successful.
Direct use/ development. Scientists can give information to farmer in terms of scientific
information; identify major features that will be useful to farmers.
Need to compare maize with sorghum, need to protect invasions by commercial varieties against
landraces. Originally perceived to be high-yielding, but later found to be unproductive. Policy
should be directly related to conservation, not simply to promote certain varieties.