Community seed bank: A community seed system is based on seed saving and aims to conserve existing varieties and make them available to the local community. (FAO and Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. 2021. Indigenous Peoples’ food systems: Insights on sustainability and resilience from the front line of climate change. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb5131en)
An erect, glabrous herb with a slender stem and ovate oblong leaves 10-15 x 3-10 cm reaching up to 1-1.5 m in height, and with a shallow root system and rhizomes penetrating more deeply in the soil. It provides starch used in jellies and pastes and is often part of infant or invalid food because it is highly digestible. The starch is also used as a base for face powders and in certain types of glue. It counteracts insect stings and also has several medicinal uses. A fibrous debris from the rhizomes is fed to cattle. (Ecocrop. nd. Maranta arundinacea https://ecocrop.apps.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/cropView?id=2335)
There are a number of different types of seed insecurity: lack of availability; lack of access; poor seed quality; lack of access to preferred and adapted varieties; lack of stability in seed security (low resilience to seed shocks and stresses). Seed insecurity exists when any of these aspects are present even if all other aspects are not. (FAO. 2015. Household seed security concepts and indicators. https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/food-security-capacity-building/docs/Seeds/SSCF/Seed_security_concepts_and_indicators_FINAL.pdf)
