Wendy-Ann Isaac, PhD
The seed is created to renew, to multiply, to be shared and to spread – Vandhana Shiva.
Seeds are considered the foundation of agriculture and compared to other agricultural inputs, have been shown to have the greatest potential to increase on-farm productivity and enhance food security. Seed availability for small-scale farmers can be unpredictable and unreliable given the reluctance of most farmers to collect and save seeds and the high dependence on seed importation. Between 2011 and 2015, TT imported seeds, fruits and spores, for sowing (excluding leguminous vegetables and sweet corn) was worth approximately $47 million.
[caption id="attachment_999367" align="alignnone" width="653"] Wendy-Ann Isaac -[/caption]
Through a project funded by The UWI/TT Research and Development Impact (RDI) Fund, The Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA), Department of Food, Sustainable Seeds of Survival (UWI-SOS) has been involved in a number of seed interventions. During the covid pandemic, a multidisciplinary team responsible for the deployment of two campus-led projects took on the charge to make seed kits available to People with Disabilities (PWDs). The initiative kicked off with a handover to the Autistic Society of TT at the St Augustine campus. The effort was supported by the UNDP Global Environmental Finance Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) TT. The UWI-SOS seed kit provided 16 varieties of seeds, mostly grown at the University Field Station.
In April 2022, UWI launched its Seed Testing Facility at the University Field Station by celebrating its 1st Annual Seed Swap, on Earth Day. The event brought together the National Seed Bank of TT, the AgroPlus Seed Bank, Kairi Seed Bank, the Seed Vault and other seed saving enthusiasts to swap seeds and contribute to the UWI-Seed Bank.
The UWI-SOS proposed to contribute to the improvement of food and nutrition security of thousands of households in TT and the Caribbean region by improving the management of the diversity of key vegetable food crops and to further develop and promote the cultivation of these crop varieties which are suited to the changing climate in this region through its Seed Library and Seed Bank initiatives. Seed banks/Seed Herbaria are seed libraries set up to safeguard and conserve planting material in the event of catastrophes to ensure food security. In addition to the UWI-SOS Seed Fair event, many other expeditions were conducted among farmers and farmers markets to collect, save and sow, multiply, select, identify and catalogue seeds. The primary goal of collecting seeds is the long-term conservation in seed banks of representative samples of the genetic diversity of seed-bearing plant populations (with priority being given to those that are most threatened). Increased diversity ensures that we have varieties adapted to changing climatic conditions and resistance to certain diseases. A strong seed diversity equates to a strong food system with the ability to withstand adverse conditions and safeguard for future generations.
