Inauguration of community owned High Altitude Open Pollinated Mountain Seed Bank
With having a centralised seed bank at village Chinoni, Chaukhutia in the Almora district, the Institute of Himalayan Environmental Research and Education (INHERE) will be inaugurating a community owned high altitude mountain seed bank in village Liti, Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand.
The new seed bank will be at an altitude of 6 800 feet above sea level and will host a wide range of local biodiversity. The seed bank is closely located to Hiramani Glacier which is the origin of River Ramganga (East), Loidhura Meadow and Khaliya Top region of Munsiyari. The seed bank will have seeds ranging from mountain millets, cereals, pulses, spices, oilseeds, vegetables, flowers and more.
The main intent to establish a High Altitude Seed Bank was primarily to conserve the biodiversity of the Higher Himalayas and develop it as an interpretation centre for local school children and community members. It will also act as a seed repository of the local crop varieties of the region. Furthermore, it will also serve as a tourist attraction centre in the village as the region has a lot of community homestays.
The community seed bank will be closely monitored by the Cen.tral Seed Bank located at INHERE for future collaboration.