Promoting and Expanding the Sayausí Rural Seed Bank - Interactive Qualifying Project - May 2nd, 2023

Sep 11, 2026

In 2021, Tania Peñaloza founded the Sayausí Rural Seed Bank in a parish of Cuenca, Ecuador. The seed bank preserves local seed varieties but lacks community engagement, limiting its ability to expand. In collaboration with sponsor Marisol Peñaloza, the team conducted surveys and interviews with community members and an NGO. The project developed and evaluated educational promotional materials, including pamphlets and branding, plus a framework to replicate the seed bank in other parishes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages124

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Intro and Background

Methods

Objectives and Findings

PROMOTING AND EXPANDING THE SAYAUSÍ RURAL SEED BANK BY JOSELIN BARBOSA , EUGENA CHOI , AND ANDREW TROUP Promoting and Expanding the Sayausí Rural Seed Bank An Interactive Qualifying Project submitted to the Faculty of WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science By: Joselin Barbosa Eugena Choi Andrew Troup Date: May 2nd, 2023 Report Submitted to: Marisol Peñaloza Councilwoman of Cuenca Professors Robert Kinicki and Gary Pollice Worcester Polytechnic Institute This report represents work ofthree WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence ofa degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its web site without editorial or peer review. Abstract Abstract In 2021 , Tani a Peñ aloza founded the Say ausí Rural Seed Bank , located in a parish of Cuenca , Ecuador . Today , the seed bank preserves local seed varieties but lacks community engagement that limits its expansion . In collaboration with our sponsor Marisol Peñ aloza , we conducted surveys and interviews with Say ausí community members and an NGO . The team designed , produced , and evaluated a pamphlet that showcased local seed varieties , their uses and benefits , and traditional Ecuadorian recipes to help preserve Say ausí ’ s cultural heritage . To help expand the seed bank , we also produced a pamphlet , a logo , a banner , and a framework for seed bank replication in other parishes . Lastly , the team provided recommendations and areas of future work for the seed bank to help further its community impact . i Resumen Resume n En 2021 , Tani a Peñ aloza fundó el Banco Rural de S emil las Say ausí , situ ado en una parro qui a de Cuenca ( Ecuador) . En la actual id ad , el ban co de semi ll as conserva varied ades de s emil las locales , pero care ce de un com pro miso comunita rio que limite s u ex pansió n . En cola bora ció n con nuestra pat roc inadora , Marisol Peñ aloza , real iz amos en cuestas y entrevistasa mi em bros de la comunidad de Say ausí y a u na ONG . El e qu ipo d ise ñó , produjo y eva lu ó un fol leto que most rab a las varied ades locales de s emil las , sus usos y benefic ios , y re cet as tradic ion ales ec uatori anas para ayu dar apreserva r el patri mon io cultural de Say ausí . Para ayu dar a amp liar el bancode s emil las , tambié n e laboramos un fol leto , un logotipo , una pan carta y un marco para la reprodu cció n del ban co de s emil las en o tras par ro qui as . Por último , el e qui po of re ció recomen dac iones y á reas de trabajo fu turo para el ban co de s emil las con el fin de contrib u ir a au mentar su impact o en la comunidad. i i Acknowledgements Acknowledgements We would like to express our gratitude to our sponsor , Marisol Peñ aloza , and Tani a Peñ aloza for the opportunity to work on this unique project. Thankyou for welcoming us with open arms and helping us during this process . We would also like to thank Professor Poll ice and Professor Ki nicki for advising us on this project. Thank you to the people of Say ausí who volunteered their time to assist in our investigation . Lastly , our team would like to acknowledge Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Global Projects Program for this value able opportunity to complete our Interactive Qualifying Project in Cuenca , Ecuador . We will treasure this experience and thank you again to everyone who helped us along the way . i i i Executive Summary Executive Summary Intro and Background The United Nations reports that due to modern agricultural practices , 90% of crop varieties have disappeared from farmers ’ fields worldwide . Out of more than 300 maize varieties grown in Ecuador in the 1960s , only 50 varieties remain in circulation . As a megadiverse country , Ecuador can largely benefit from an increase of seed banks to help preserve biodiversity and traditionally valued crops . Community seed banks

FAQs

Who founded the Sayausí Rural Seed Bank and where is it located?

Tania Peñaloza founded the Sayausí Rural Seed Bank in 2021, located in a parish of Cuenca, Ecuador.

What limitation affected the seed bank’s expansion?

The seed bank preserved local seed varieties but lacked community engagement, which inhibited expansion.

What promotional and expansion materials did the team create?

The team designed and evaluated pamphlets and also produced a logo, a banner, and a framework to support replication of the seed bank in other parishes.

Sep 11, 2026

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