ABSTRACT
Community seed banks - locally governed and managed, mostly informal, institutions whose core function is to maintain seeds for local use - have been around for about 30 years. The drivers underlying their establishment, evolution and sustainability over time vary considerably. Surprisingly, despite 30 years of existence and growth, very few scientific publications can be found that review the history, evolution, experiences, successes, challenges and prospects of community seed banks. A community seed bank is based on the principle of conserving local varieties 'on farm', that is, in farmers' fields or home gardens. Access to and availability of a large quantity of farmer-preferred varieties, local or improved or both, are the core business of some community seed banks. Governance of a community seed bank is a process whereby a group of individuals works as a collective to ensure the health of the organization.
