It is estimated that 25–33% of the world grain crop including seeds is lost each year during storage, and this has a significant effect on global food security. The impact is even greater in food-deficit developing countries, where every year farmers struggle to preserve their seeds as basic input needed for food crop production.

Seed storage is the preservation of seeds under controlled environmental conditions to maintain seed viability (germination and vigour) for long periods from harvesting through to planting of the processed seed by the farmer. However, storage is often thought to mean simply keeping the seed in a physical “storage” structure. It is important to take into account other factors contributing to the maintenance of seed viability. This module is organized in five chapters to cover best practices throughout seed storage.