Vegetable seed kits help vulnerable families grow nutrient-rich food for healthier diets and more resilient livelihoods.

In early June 2020, the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) received a call from World Vision’s Tainan office to assist with relief for disadvantaged families in southern Taiwan.

On 12 June, WorldVeg responded by providing 400 seed kits of rapid-growing nutritious vegetables for World Vision to distribute to vulnerable families in the Tainan area. World Vision has a particular focus on improving the health and hygiene of children; more than 2,010 children are expected to benefit from the seed kits.

WorldVeg Director General Dr. Marco Wopereis presented the kits to Ms. Jean Lin, Manager, World Vision Taiwan Southern Area Office at WorldVeg headquarters in Shanhua, Tainan City. Ms. Lin was accompanied by Ms. Sonia Hwang, Senior Team Leader, World Vision Taiwan Marketing Division, Southern Area Office; Ms. Yashih Huang, Senior Specialist, World Vision Taiwan Southern Area, Tainan Office; and Ms. Sylvie Shi, Specialist, World Vision Taiwan Southern Area, Kaohsiung Office. WorldVeg management, Genebank staff, and reporters from five media outlets attended the seed handover.

“People can have more nutritious, healthier diets when they are able to consume vegetables they have produced at home,” said Dr. Wopereis. “A home garden can offer some resilience to families to overcome shocks.” He noted that Taiwan has been a “world champion” in fighting COVID-19, so it is difficult to imagine that there would be people in need. “But every society has pockets of vulnerability,” he said. “World Vision has long-term bonds with many disadvantaged families, whether or not they have been affected by the virus. We are grateful to reach out to our neighbors in Tainan through World Vision.”

Dr. Wopereis thanked the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for providing funds to produce the seed kits.

Ms. Lin said the families that will receive the seed kits had mostly been affected by COVID-19 through loss of income. “Many livelihoods rely on the informal street economy, which in some places has slowed down due to the virus,” she said.

Ms. Lin recalled the benefits of an earlier WorldVeg – World Vision seed kit collaboration in 2009 to help victims of Typhoon Morakot. “People really appreciated having that seed to grow their own vegetables,” she said.

To create the kits, WorldVeg Genebank staff reviewed available seed stocks and selected six quick-growing crops. Germination tests were conducted to ensure the seed was viable. The seed kits were checked by the Taiwan Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) and a phytosanitary certificate was obtained before the seed was distributed.

The kits contain seed of six fast-growing, nutrient-rich traditional vegetables – okra, jute mallow, mungbean, kangkong, amaranth and Malabar spinach. The kits also include a booklet that provides planting instructions, crop management methods, nutrients, and ideas for food preparation for each crop.

WorldVeg formed a COVID-19 Task Force in early April to plan active responses to alleviate disruptions in food access and to conduct strategic research to understand the pandemic’s effects on food systems. Seed kits were sent to affected families in the Philippines on 4 June, and other seed kit distributions are planned for Thailand and Mali.

Photos: Vanna Liu