ECHO Asia Seed Bank

The ECHO Asia Seed Bank is located on the campus of the Upland Holistic Development Project in Chiang Mai province, Thailand.  Established in early 2009, the production plots and other facilities of the seed bank are still under development.

In addition to evaluating various food crop varieties, including amaranth, okra and legumes, for future production and distribution, Lue Chompoothong (ECHO Asia Seed Bank technician), Ruth Tshin (volunteer seed bank consultant) and Phoebe Mbuvi (ECHO intern) are testing natural seed storage techniques for possible implementation.

The ECHO Asia Regional Office expects to have several seed varieties ready for distribution among regional partners by mid-2010 with additional selections being added regularly over the long term. We aim to include nitrogen-fixing trees, vegetables, green manure cover crops, oil crops and northern Thai indigenous agroforestry species (palms, eg. rattan; spice plants, eg. Piper spp.; perennial vegetables, eg. katuk, moringa).

We also expect to provide access to information related to:

1. Seed bank development
2. Plant variety descriptions
3. Seed ordering
4. Seed saving tips