INTERNATIONAL SEEDS DAY

International Seeds Day is celebrated on April 26th every year. This day is dedicated to advocating for patent-free seeds, organic food, and farmers’ rights. It also creates awareness about sustainable farming and challenging Order 81. According to the Collins Dictionary, seeds can be defined as “A mature fertilized plant ovule, consisting of an embryo and its food store surrounded by a protective seed coat”. Pollination and the “seed habit” are considered the most important factors responsible for the overwhelming evolutionary success of flowering plants, which number more than 300,000 species. Plants can be pollinated in many ways such as by insects, the wind, by water, and by self-pollination.

In today’s world, there is a crisis as it relates to food and nutritional security. Global declines in agricultural production and productivity have occurred as a result of climate change, water scarcity, dramatic weather events, natural disasters, soil erosion, soil exhaustion, pests, diseases, contamination, supply chain breakdowns, inflation, geopolitics, war, and a lack of resources.

As it relates to agriculture, seeds are necessary to ensure sustainability and resilience within production systems, at the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Antigua and Barbuda, seed production and management is one of the priorities within the work program. Genetic conservation is pivotal to the operations in Antigua and Barbuda as well as across the region. CARDI Antigua and Barbuda produce hot pepper, corn, pumpkin, and table squash seeds; these seeds are maintained at the unit’s seed bank.
To guarantee a higher quality of seeds there are several seed quality tests administered as well as germination tests to indicate the viability and germination percentages expected.
The availability of high-quality seeds as provided by organizations like CARDI, and distributors will allow farmers to gain better yields and provide more nutritious food. The range of seeds available locally and regionally will determine what the farm can or cannot grow. As one looks ahead there will be a need to generate more seeds within the region and safely store them considering the growing risks faced in today’s world.