SHILLONG: A Community Seed Bank was inaugurated by the chairman of the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS), Phrang Roy at Laitsohpliah, East Khasi Hills on Thursday.
The Laitsohpliah Community Seed Bank is an initiative of NESFAS in collaboration with Rural Electrical Corporation Ltd (REC), under the project ‘No One Shall Be Left Behind Initiative.’
Roy congratulated the community members and said that they should preserve seeds and revive the ones that have been lost.
The farmers of Laitsohpliah were asked to gather together and lend a hand by coming up with various objectives for the proposed Community Seed Bank.
Some of the objectives, which they came up with, include preserving local seeds and the environment, provide food security and food sovereignty, generate income through food supply, increase accessibility of quality of seeds, to document knowledge related to seeds, promote the seed bank as an information centre for future generations, especially to attract young people towards the local food system, and promote seed exchange among neighbours.
Nester Kharmawphlang, headmaster of Laitsohpliah RCUP SSA School, said, ‘We have many varieties of seeds which are available in the village and some of them are on the verge of extinction’.
Farming is very important to the villagers here as it is a source of livelihood for them, he added.
Kharmawphlang further said that the community seed bank will help them achieve many goals as now they do not have to depend on other villages for seeds. Also, now we can sell the seeds for a price to people from other villages as well.
Roy said that the residents of the village should organise more festivals and food shows to attract tourists and people from across the state. The community also donated a plot of land for a biodiversity block which is specifically used for preserving seed varieties that are on the verge of extinction.