Ghana: On-farm conservation of underutilized root and tuber crops in community seed banking scheme farmer training

In the project's first phase, a Community Seed Bank structure was constructed at Mangoase Senior High School in the Akwapem North District. This facility serves farmers in Mangoase, Adawso, Tinkon, and neighboring areas, aiding in the conservation of local seed varieties. Why On-Farm Conservation? A diversity mapping of crop species in the area revealed numerous root and tuber crops, including bananas, requiring sustainable conservation and utilization for food security and livelihood improvement. However, root and tuber crops, including bananas, are vegetatively propagated and cannot be conserved within a seed bank structure. The solution lies in sustainable on-farm conservation and selected farmers have been identified to undertake this task. Thus, the community seed bank project in Ghana uniquely integrates both seed bank conservation and on-farm conservation of root and tuber crops, including bananas. Training of Farmers To ensure sustainable on-farm conservation, an intensive ...