Agroecological farming and community-based seeds banks in India

Abstract

The seed is the first link and the main input of the food system. It is important to restore and to
conserve seeds in order for farmers to achieve autonomy and food sovereignty. The objective
is to present the experience of a network of community-based seed banks linked to the Navdanya
organisation, located in India, and how they contribute to strengthen farmers. The starting
point was carried out using an exploratory research in Dehradun, based on preselected
criteria that allowed a thorough understanding of the actor’s opinion, through a systematic
approach. It was possible to identify the main activities and the basic principles for the success
of this type of initiative.