Seed Banking in the Southwest

• PB2025

Tribal and community groups around the Southwest (and elsewhere) are working to create seed banks to conserve heirloom seed varieties that are important to them.  This guidebook provides guidance and resources on the process of creating and maintaining a seed collection in a way that maintains seed viability and meets community needs.

Four existing seed banks in Arizona and New Mexico are profiled, and their different ways of caring for their seeds offer a variety of models that will be useful to other groups considering seed banking.

Subjects covered in the guidebook include: gathering a team and defining the purpose of the seed bank, how to save good seed, how to protect the seeds, creating infrastructure, organizing seed collections, regenerating the seed, and distributing the seed.  The book also includes a resource list, sample data sheets, and other helpful data.

The 64 page spiral bound guidebook includes full color photos.  While the book focuses on doing this work in the arid Southwest, much of the content will be useful for groups elsewhere.  We consider this a companion to our Seed Saving in the Southwest, which contains specific information about conserving seed from various crops.  

Visit our Seed Banking in the Southwest Storymap for an overview of the content and extended interviews with some of the profiled seed banks.   It's all part of Native Seed/SEARCH's ongoing effort to share practical seed-saving knowledge far and wide.

• $14.95