Youth Seed Stewardship : Cultivating Food Leaders
Rayna Almas & Andrew Jackson
In 2024, we introduced the Youth Seed Stewardship pilot project, the newest addition to Youth in Food Systems (YFS). The project seeks to empower youth in Waterloo Region as key players in local food systems by supporting their work to save seeds (alongside schools), create seed saving education content, and encourage other youth to do the same. By engaging youth as leaders and changemakers in running the seed library, we hope to support these youth in becoming food leaders by fostering a sense of connectedness and responsibility in their local food systems.
Project Supporters - Our sincerest gratitude to our major financial supporters!
This project closes the loop in YFS's existing programming by involving youth directly in the collection, nurturing, and distribution of seeds within and beyond their communities.
Why was it Important to close the loop? Prior to the Seed Stewards project, Youth in Food Systems’ programming supported youth in self-directed local food work: Growing seedlings at their schools, maintaining school gardens over the summer, and distributing school-grown produce at local pop-up markets using accessible pricing models. Without seeds, none of this work could exist - after all, the vast majority of food comes from seeds, making it the foundation of our food systems. So we thought, why not create a project that put this final piece of the puzzle into the hands of local youth? Youth have the skills, abilities, and eagerness to make a difference and to be leaders in the community. With Seed Stewards, youth are now able to influence and lead each stage that a seed takes from being collected off of a plant to being sold at the market.
Plus, we are Seeds of Diversity - this is what we do! Encourage, empower, and educate about seed saving and conservation.
How did the pilot project go?
~ What seeds should be in the newly created inter-school seed library?
~ How might we go about starting to establish a community-focused seed distribution model?
~ What information should be available to recipients of seeds about each variety?
~ How can we encourage and motivate schools to share seeds back with the Library?
The results...
Through the efforts of the youth Seed Stewards, the Interschool Seed Library has distributed over 900 packets of seeds to 42 schools and roughly 30 local youth! These seed packets represent over 65 different types of food producing seeds as well as flower seeds to attract and support pollinators in garden spaces.
Numbers are not the only (or most important) results we care about. This project has given the Seed Stewards unique opportunities to: learn more about how local food systems in Waterloo Region work; gain hands-on experience in seed saving and stewardship; have a voice in decision making (this boosts confidence and leadership skills!); and collaborate and socialize with each other and the adult allies invited to join the project. In short: it’s been educational and loads of fun!
But that’s not all… Schools across Waterloo Region have gained greater access to a wide variety of seeds and other resources suitable for their school garden spaces, easing the delivery of their school garden projects. And, it has increased the potential of our own Youth Food Gardens and Market projects by creating greater access to locally adapted seeds for our other YFS youth. By integrating seed stewardship with food production and distribution, we have attempted to create a comprehensive framework for youth engagement in sustainable food systems.
What is the Inter-School Seed Library?
A central component of the Youth Seed Stewardship project, the Inter-School Seed Library aims to increase access to open-pollinated, heirloom, and regionally adapted seeds for school-based food production and for youth gardeners.
The creation of the Library was the end goal for this first cohort of youth volunteers. And it happened! It’s here!
The Library, in operation since February, is currently hosted at the Seeds of Diversity office in Uptown Waterloo, where it sits alongside our main seed collection (the Canadian Seed Library). Many of the seeds will be sent out to our youth garden teams as they care for six school garden spaces in Kitchener and Cambridge during July and August. Some other seeds will be sent to schools as requests continue to trickle in. The rest are being organized and jarred up (they’ll stay viable longer that way), to be kept safe and sound for next year.
Where is This Project Heading?
The Youth Seed Stewardship project represents a significant step in empowering youth to take on active roles in their local food systems and we want this to continue to exist. Youth in Food Systems is actively developing the next iteration of the project both based on our observations and insights from the Seed Stewards.
The 2025-26 Youth Seed Stewardship project will consist of a handful of workshops focused on supporting youth and educators to become seed champions by learning the basic skills of seed saving. From these workshops we will be welcoming two cohorts of youth to further develop and run the Inter-School Seed Library with the support of mentors. The first cohort, in October to November, will learn to save seeds, run germination tests, and determine the seeds that will be available for the upcoming season. The second cohort will join in February and March to create educational content and ensure the seeds are delivered to schools and youth.
By fostering leadership, collaboration, and a deep understanding of how to create sustainable food systems, YFS is cultivating the next generation of food system leaders committed to environmental stewardship and community resilience.
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