We are going to build …
In collaboration with the Sriti Village Foundation and the Auroville Bamboo Centre we are going to build a seed bank.
Sriti Foundation runs several projects including Sristi Village, a self-sustaining village where intellectually disabled and marginalized individuals live, work and receive education. Their aim is to empower disadvantaged and disabled people to live dignified and self-supporting lives in a new and innovative way.
Sristi Village is home to the Sristi Special School, a school for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Services for children are limited in the rural area and the school aims to provide children with a good basis in education.
Sristi Village is also home to our eco-friendly farm. Over 9 acres of farm land are cultivated by members and volunteers using organic, traditional techniques. We grow millet, corn, bananas and much more. Members of Sristi Village are involved in every step of cultivation and they also live on the land. Our aim is to give intellectually disabled people the opportunity to learn some farming skills in order to practically apply these skills to generate their own income, become self-sustaining and (partly) independent in order to lead a dignified and holistic life.
Sristi Community seed bank
Seed Bank is a place of storage where indigenous seed varieties, are conserved and managed by the Sristi community members. They also encourage local farmers, with free and easy access to traditional seeds, under the condition that a farmer returns twice the amount of seeds he or she borrowed. They not only reduce farmers’ dependence on seed companies, but also help conserve the agro-biodiversity of their villages.
Functioning of a seed bank
Functions of a Community Seed bank include: storing seeds in the proper manner, lending seeds to those who request them and keeping records of seeds returned. A very important duty of seed bank members is promoting traditional agricultural practices through the use of local seeds. These members are responsible for maintaining the purity of seeds by monitoring the farming methods of members who contribute to the seed bank and ensuring that they employ organic farming method.