Community seed banks show promise as grassroots peacebuilding institutions
A study in conflict-affected northern Ethiopia explored how community seed banks can strengthen trust, communication, social interaction and conflict-resolution capacity, revealing a social role that reaches far beyond conserving crop diversity.
- Agrobiodiversity
- Ethiopia
- Multifunctional Landscapes
- Peacebuilding
Community seed banks show promise as grassroots peacebuilding institutions
A study in conflict-affected northern Ethiopia explored how community seed banks can strengthen trust, communication, social interaction and conflict-resolution capacity, revealing a social role that reaches far beyond conserving crop diversity.
In the rural communities of northern Ethiopia, a seed can carry much more than the promise of a harvest. It can hold a family’s memory of what grows well in difficult soil, knowledge passed between generations and a measure of protection against the next drought. New research suggests that seeds can also give neighbors a practical reason to meet, cooperate and begin rebuilding trust.
A study published in Peace and Sustainability examined community seed banks in Ayba, Melfa and Wakaye, three climate-vulnerable communities in Ethiopia’s Tigray region that have been affected by armed conflict. Based on survey data from 393 rural households, the researchers found that affiliation with some seed banks was associated with stronger trust, better communication, more frequent social interaction and greater capacity to address conflicts.