The first visit of students from the second grade of the Agricultural and Food sector of the Vocational Senior High School of Moudros took place at the “Lemnian Seed Bank”, on Lemnos, under the supervision of their teacher, Ms. Maria Dervisi. The students were welcomed by Danae Sfakianou, Agronomist at MedINA and the responsible person for the Seed Bank.
During their visit, the students had the opportunity to explore terms such as “Agro-biodiversity” and “Local Varieties,” and learn about the importance of preserving and spreading the rich genetic material of the island, as well as agricultural practices that contribute to the overall preservation of biodiversity.
They learned about the seeds of 35 local varieties stored in the Seed Bank, and with great enthusiasm, they participated in the packaging process, contributing to the preparation for the upcoming event marking the completion of LEMRACE project. Additionally, they observed fruits from various tomato varieties and learned how the technical sheet for a variety is completed, in order to include it in the National List of Cultivated Plants. Finally, they used the Seed Bank’s equipment to understand in practice how seeds are cleaned and dried before storage.
The preservation of Lemnos’ phytogenetic wealth and the protection of its agricultural genetic heritage concerns not only the current generations but also those of the future!
The creation of the “Lemnian Seed Bank” is part of the MedINA project “LEMRACE – Conservation of the plant genetic wealth of Lemnos: local varieties for sustainable development of the Lemnian agrifood system”, which is being implemented in collaboration with the Greek Gene Bank / Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources of ELGO-DEMETER and is funded by the Green Fund.