seed bank proposal

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Greetings from Nicaragua!

Please forward this on to anyone who would be interested in helping a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Nicaragua start a Women´s Group Seed Bank.

Things are going well down here. I¨m about to hit my 6 month mark of being in my community and 9 month mark of being in country. And that just blows my mind.

Check out my blog mytb.org/mbaade for all of my ramblings and photos of my Peace Corps Volunteer service in Central America... if you´re not already stalking me 😊

Okay, I¨ll get to the point. Nicaragua has a 6 month dry season... when not much happens... and a 6 month wet season... when everything related to agriculture happens. Everyone is planting.

However, the women are lacking basic vegetable seeds to plant in their family gardens. Family gardens are an integral part of my service here... as the purpose of my service, as an Agriculture & Food Security Extensionist, is to help families help themselves. So the little money they have isn´t spent on buying vegetables, but on growing them.

Now I could ask for seeds and pass them out to various women in my community... but that wouldn´t be sustainable and next year they would just be asking for seeds again.

What I would like to do is start a vegetable garden seed bank. And have a group of women run it. So when I leave, they can continue to have seeds to plant.

Example: The Seed Bank (banco de semillas) loans out 10 onion seeds to one member. That member, then, must pay back the Bank with double the number - 20 seeds - within six months. Thus, it continues to grow.

It is a very simple concept. The problem, though, is we need a bank of seeds to get started.

I know it´s planting time in the States for home gardens, too. If you all could just pick up an extra few packets of seeds, stick them in an envelope and send them to me in Nicaragua, that would just be awesome.

The basic vegetables planted here are... tomatoes, green peppers, chili peppers, ONIONS, carrots, beets, radishes, squashes, and any type of herb.

If you´re not the planting type, send me some snail mail love! You´ll get a mail shoutout on my blog.

I will continue to keep donors updated on the status of the seed bank, photos included!

There should be no problem sending vegetable through the mail.

However, there will be less problems if you send them in a small manilla envelope.... and, kills me to say this, but putting crosses on the envelopes and ¨dios bendiga¨ (god bless) will probably get them to me more securely.

My address is...

Molly Baade
Cuerpo de Paz
(message me for the box number)
Somoto, Madriz
Nicaragua

No, there´s no postal code.

Below is my Mom´s advice for all y´all in Camdenton who want to buy seeds. The most important ones are ONIONS, any type of root vegetable, and squashes. Though all are welcome!

Okay, gotta run and catch my bus back up my mountain! Check back with the blog for more updates!

x´s and o´s from Nicaragua
-molly

Peace Corps Nicaragua ´09-´10



From: S Baade
To: Molly Baade
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 11:38:05 PM

OK, Honey! Went shopping for seeds for you today. Learned last year that Woods Lawn and Garden (old Benne's) up on Hwy 5 across from Casey's, has the best deal. He buys in bulk and packages his own packs to sell. Has lots more in each bag than I can find in the conventional colored-to-sell brand-name ones.

However, no luck with the herb seeds up there. Will find and send them, though.
Am, per your Dad's request, sending them in 2 separate envelopes to you, instead of all-at-once (just in case).

So far, am sending pkts of seeds for:
beets
Swiss chard
cantaloupe
okra 😞
white icicle radishes
carrots
spinich
salsify (w/info.)
watermelon
dipper/bird house gourds (non-edible, just for fun)
green beans
chives
ONIONS
peas
and, a few various flowers!

Will search for herbs and more tomorrow. Probably won't get these in the mail til Thursday, at the latest.

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Comments

[Mom]

Ha Ha!
Just read where you told of the manilla envelopes of seeds arriving. Guess next time I'll have to stuff a "green" black bag from Wal-Mart to help you with the carrying, huh? Seriously, glad they got there OK. We're so proud of you, Molly!!

[Ben Steele]

Seed bank
Molly, Great idea...and most needed for sure. I just returned from Porta Cabeza yesterday and came to the same conclusion. Perhaps we can work together and inject some love to a future of food autonomy for these wonderful people. I will be returning to Nicaragua in a few weeks (3 to 5) to start a permaculture demonstration project in Porta Cabeza and could bring down some extra seeds for you. Please let me know if this would be convient for you and if you still are in need for more seeds. Is your location anywhere near Porta Cabezas or Blue Fields? Keep up the great work Molly, Ben

[sara costanza]

Great idea!
Hello Molly: I love your seed bank idea and the chance to empower the women too! Do you know my daughter Danielle? She is a Peace Corp volunteer (new to her site) in El Hatillo, Telica, Leon. She is raising money to buy seeds, but your idea is fantastic. I will send you some seeds. I am so excited about your work! May God's blessings be on you and your village as you strive to make a positive difference! Peace and love.

[Katie Ehrlich]

seed sharing?
Hi! I am working on a project in Playa Gigante (it shows up as El Gigante on Google Maps) near Rivas Nicaragua. Maybe you have some pointers on what sorts of seeds to grow? Maybe we can start a seed-sharing system, too! Also, do you know anything about heirloom variety seeds in Nicaragua? I'd love to talk to you about your experience--email me at [e-mail]