seed banks?

Question

what are seed banks?

Answer 1

Seed banks are set up to try and store as many different seeds as possible from the plant and tree community. This is a project to try and prevent further extintion of rare species and ensure continued survival of existing ones. Many seeds are difficult to store and need a special environment; some need to be kept wet, others dry or at certain temperatures and some are still trying to be found ways to be stored. There is a world project to try and save these seeds.

Smaller scale seed banks enable seeds for cops and produce to be available in countries where crops fail etc.

Look here for more infomation about the project - I filmed a programme about it

http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/msbp/

Answer 2

These are places that save seeds from heirloom and rare plants. This way the "old fashioned" plants, like certain tomato varieties, don't go extinct.

If you're interested, there are lots of groups that have seeds and information out there.

Answer 3

places for farmers to swap seeds for crops. If you have too much seed corn but not enough cabbage seeds, you can donate the corn to the bank and if anyone has the cabbage seeds you need you can get them.