Kingston libraries will lend vegetable seeds as well as books
Seed Library Jamaica opened at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library so people can borrow food seeds, grow them, and bring some back.
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Jamaica's library association has opened a seed library so food seeds can travel the same path as books. The Jamaica Information Service reported on October 16, 2026, that Seed Library Jamaica launched at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library.
Borrowers can take seeds, grow them at home or at school, share what they save, and return some to restock the shelves. The first collection, donated by Gen Paradise Limited, includes Scotch bonnet pepper, scallion, onion, pak choi, tomato, lettuce, melon, cucumber, pumpkin, corn, and cowpeas. People request seeds through the Jamaica Library Service chat or a WhatsApp line and pick them up at a parish library. Director general Maureen Thompson said the service's 35 public libraries will carry the offer.
Founder Sasekea Harris called it the association's largest sustainability project and the first seed library of its kind in Jamaica and among small island developing states. The agriculture ministry said it will add local seed. A planning-institute speaker noted that only 51 percent of Jamaicans reported having enough food to eat daily, which is why the library is treating seed as a public resource. The launch is a borrowing system. It is not a harvest figure.
For the classroom
The Jamaica Information Service reported on October 16, 2026, that a seed library opened at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library. People can borrow seeds for food plants, grow them at home or school, and return some seeds later. The collection includes pepper, scallion, tomato, pumpkin, corn, and other vegetables. Jamaica's public libraries will share the seeds from 35 branches. Dr. Sasekea Harris, who organized the project, said it is the first seed library of its kind in Jamaica. The seeds are free to borrow.
- How is borrowing a seed different from borrowing a book?
- What could a class grow if the school library lent seeds?
- Why would a library ask people to bring seeds back after a harvest?
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