ABSTRACT
In over two decades, USC Canada's support for community seed supply systems has grown from a seed recovery programme responding to drought and genetic erosion in Ethiopia, to a global programme focused on promoting food security and food sovereignty through the sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity. USC Canada is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) based in Ottawa. In Timor Leste, USC Canada's partner, Resilient Agriculture and Economy through Biodiversity Action (RAEBIA), has participated in a steering committee to guide the country's draft national seed policy (2013), which makes explicit note of the value of community seed banks. A Seeds of Survival (SoS) small-projects fund was established to promote community-based food and seed security initiatives, while technical assistance, South-South exchanges and networking sustained ongoing learning and exchange among SoS initiatives that were developing in various parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
