At the end of 2019, Germinar um Banco de Sementes project emerged, with the aim to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining food and environmental genetic heritage, based on activities in order to create a seed bank. They develop training and environmental awareness actions with the community, but with a focus on the youngest.

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The loss of biodiversity on the Planet …

… resulting from climate change, seed privatization, reduced reproduction viability and other destructive behaviours are the main reason that led to the creation of  Germinar um Banco de Sementes project. This project aims to raise awareness of the urgency in the preservation and multiplication of seeds and to aware to another environmental issues, through the development of activities focused on seed preservation and environmental protection.

Maria João, one of the project coordinators, says that,…

… “it is in schools that children and young people, future decision makers, spend most of their time and it is also widely accepted that school education is important for the construction of the individual”. It is important to educate the younger population for the preservation of species, to fight against the massification of hybrid and genetically altered seeds and to avoid the extinction of seeds by natural or man-made causes.

This project works so that some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be achieved, more specifically…

… objectives 2 (End Hunger), namely in points 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5, focused on the dissemination of small scale producers, sustainable agricultural production and resilient techniques, as well as the preservation of specific diversity and the creation of seeds; 4 (Quality Education), more specifically through point 4.7 in promoting knowledge for sustainable development; 12 (Production and Sustainable Consumption) through points 12.1, 12.2 and 12.8 contributing to sustainable consumption, efficient use of natural resources and production of information to raise awareness of sustainable development and 15 (Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biodiversity), fulfilling a large part of points but more specifically with compliance with points 15.3, 15.5, 15.6 and 15.7 in preventing the extinction of endangered species, promoting equal access to genetic heritage and protection of floristic species.

Raising public awareness to the need to preserve and multiply seeds and related environmental issues…

… is done through encouraging active citizenship, through different activities such as promoting responsible consumption, developing and disseminating different forms of circular economy and contributing to the recovery of biodiversity in natural and agricultural ecosystems, promoting species and traditional varieties and also contributing to the decarbonisation of these ecosystems.

The project is developed in…

… six activities, inside and outside the school, directly involving students, teachers, educators and the local community. More specifically, training and awareness-raising activities are carried out for an audience of 258 students – 2nd and 6th grade – from the Ressano Garcia Primary School and Josefa de Óbidos High School and will now extend to the pre-primary education of the Ressano Garcia School. Students can access pedagogical content structured around themes about plants, ecosystems and ecology. In addition to the theoretical content, the classes take place largely abroad using practical activities. At the Josefa de Óbidos School, a physical space was created – two greenhouses for germination and about 110m² of vegetable garden, with more than 35m² in raised beds – where the seeds germinate on the patio. The students are in direct contact with the land and directly involved from the planning and construction phase to the management and collection of seeds. At the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year, an exhibition will be held to publicize all the work done during the previous academic year.

“In view of the environmental crisis that is affecting the world, we cannot remain indifferent. On an unprecedented scale, it is urgent to adopt measures to stop and reverse this situation, and we are all called to act. The “Greta effect” made tomorrow’s decision makers – today’s students – awaken to these problems. Our project is born from this observation of the present and serves as a small contribution, but we hope to grow ”.

At the community level, a project is being built for three local entities to make seeds available to the community, thus promoting local plant biodiversity. At this time, a “seed file” is also being created, which consists of a physical repository and the creation of a digital platform where the genetic heritage of seeds can be searched according to specific and requested criteria, promoting the diversity and propagation of seeds. Throughout the project, a manual is compiled with the methodologies developed and shares the knowledge acquired. It is intended to enhance the educational dimension of environmental information using an understandable and accessible language, without losing scientific rigor.

This project is promoted by…

… Margens Simples association and is funded by the Lisbon City Council, through the BipZip Local Partnerships 2019 program and executed in partnership with Padre Bartolomeu de Gusmão School Group and the AL Belo Correia Seed Bank, installed at the National Museum of Natural History and Science. It also has the support of the mobilized partners “ReSeed, rescuing seeds’ heritage” (University of Coimbra), Living Seeds – Sementes Vivas AS, Valorsul, SA and Carmo Wood.

Germinar um Banco de Sementes team consists of…

… project coordinators Maria João Fonseca and Rui Alves, by Joana Peres responsible for communication, Carlos Bártolo responsible for graphic design and Luísa Passos for illustration. Ana Manta and António Alexandre are focused on educational content and activities.

Germinar um Banco de Sementes is a project that contributes to food sustainability because…

… intends to promote actions that go in the same direction as the principles defended by the circular economy, permaculture and responsible consumption. “Conserving, using and propagating seeds as an ancient practice of food sovereignty is a fundamental right of farmers and communities. In the case of traditional varieties, the selection of the best specimens over time has allowed these species and varieties to adapt to the regions, thus being linked to the local culture and gastronomies. The introduction of genetically modified seeds can introduce serious environmental imbalances ”.

The project is only five months old, but…

… the challenges are many but it is not yet possible to identify what are the major problems in the scope of the project. At the moment, the project faces only the inability to reach a wider audience. Despite the joviality of the project “we realized early on that the project has to grow, it has to mobilize more entities, it has to raise more awareness, it has to find more space where we can germinate the seeds, to feed, to preserve”.

At a national level…

… there are people and projects that work with the same mission, starting with “farmers who work with traditional techniques and seeds, associations like Colher para Semear, Banco de Sementes AL Belo Correia, the largest seed bank in the country, Banco Português Plant Germplasm, with an unrivaled heritage of traditional food species and other local and state associations and informal groups ”.

“The project has been very well received, both by the people directly involved and by external entities that have contacted and disseminated the project”.

Get to know more about Germinar um Banco de Sementes in:

Website: germinar.pt

Facebook: @germinarBancoSementes

Instagram: @germinar.um.banco.de.sementes