For over a decade, the Hawaiʻi Island Seed Bank has been a resource for farmers and gardeners across the state.
Unlike the seed banks at Schofield Barracks Army Base and Lyon Arboretum, the Big Island facility is more focused on agriculture than research.
Jill Wagner, founder of the seed bank, oversees the storage and sale of all the seeds.
"We try to sell common native [seeds], so people can grow native species on their properties," she said.
The seed bank also takes care of crop seeds for the Hawaiʻi Public Seed Initiative, a statewide farmer group.
"It's a really wonderful thing for our community to have," Wagner said.
"Otherwise, if you buy seed, you're buying it from the mainland, and it's not really the highest performing because it wasn't grown here."
With over 30 million seeds stored away, Wagner hopes to continue conserving genetic diversity in the local ecosystem and supporting Hawaiʻi agriculture.
This interview aired on The Conversation on June 30, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
