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

There is a serious need for the training of staff in the domain of field gene banks and seed banks
management.
The main constraints are:
▪ With the substitution of older varieties by new high yielding imported varieties of many crops,
there is considerable evidence that farmers have completely abandoned locally adapted
varieties. There is a real danger of extinction of these old varieties;
▪ Land is by far the biggest limiting factor for development in small islands and there is intense
competition by all sectors. Much of the land traditionally used for farming and agriculture was
absorbed into housing and other social development;
▪ Skilled labour for agriculture became less available as many young people moved out of the
sector for better job prospects in tourism and the service industry ;
▪ Government’s budget can no longer afford to keep a huge work force to maintain huge orchards
or field gene bank;
▪ There is a shortage of PGRFA conservation and utilisation technical literature;
Possible solutions to the constraints
For the future food security of the country there is an urgent need to conserve the PGR of adapted
crop plants introduced into Seychelles over the past 250 years. Some of the solutions to the
constraints are:
▪ Promote education and awareness about plant diversity for the benefit of present and future
generations so that every sector of society recognises its role in plant conservation;
▪ The National Agricultural 2003 – 2013 perceives households as a major potential contributor to
National Agricultural production in the next decade. It is estimated that households can
contribute to almost a 25% increase of the area currently under intensive agriculture. In the
same light, households can be made to be custodians of rare, neglected, endangered or
threatened species of PGRFA;
▪ Inventory of all varieties of fruit trees growing on the islands, including those in the field banks,
on private land and in farmers’ fields;
▪ Where local varieties of crop plants are found, samples should be collected and transferred to
secure ex-situ conservation sites, seed bank and field gene bank;
▪ Many traditional farmers maintain high diversity of crops and varieties on small farms,
providing year round varied produce for their families and for the market. Incentives should be
found to encourage them to continue with this system, possibility in the form of advantageous
conditions at the local agricultural input outlet;
▪ Training is required in the area of PGR conservation and utilization for technical and
professional staff at all levels. There is also a need to train one taxonomist in the field of
identification of PGRFA;
▪ Approach should be made to different international organisation for technical literature