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6 Seed Saving Efforts from Around the World
As Seeds of Diversity heads towards its 40 year anniversary next year (we started as COG’s Heritage Seed Program in 1984), we are reflecting on the journey that has led us from that time to what we are today: a national charity working to preserve crop genetic diversity through seed saving and education.
As many reading this will know, our seed library is home to over 3000 varieties of rare and endangered food plants, many of which can’t systematically be found anywhere else. This is a big deal, and something we are grateful for the chance to do, thanks to our members and volunteers.
While we are one of the more prominent organizations in Canada doing this work, we are far from alone in our mission. Across the globe there are, quite literally, hundreds of “official” initiatives and many thousands of “unofficial” ones also working to save seeds and keep our food systems diverse and resilient. Seeds are heritage. Seeds are culture. Seeds are life and growth and hope. Saving them is one of the oldest agricultural practices.
How long has seed saving been a thing?
It’s hard to say, exactly. Seed saving is an ancient practice and it’s safe to assume that humans have been saving seeds for many thousands of years, at least since we began transitioning from primarily hunters and gatherers to settled farmers. According to National Geographic, squash cultivation began some 10,000 years ago in Mexico, and maize-like plants were farmed 9000 years ago. It’s likely that we’ve been saving seeds on and off for at least 12,000 to 13,000 years for small scale food production.
“Since the dawn of agriculture more than 10,000 years ago, humans have been promoting their survival and their culture through farming. And it all started with seeds. In societies all over the world, growers thrashed and winnowed these tiny kernels from their protective envelopes and placed them in the earth, anxiously awaiting for sun-seeking shoots to poke through the soil. The plants that emerged usually thrived in specific conditions or geographic locations, and farmers chose to keep the seeds that gave them the most return on their investment, in the forms of plant hardiness, size, or flavor. Meskwaki growers, for instance, harvest seeds from the plants with the longest ears of corn, the plumpest kernels, or the most vibrant shades of yellow, red, or purple.” Susan Cosier, NRDC
Today, seed saving is a much less common practice in most parts of the world for a plethora of reasons (colonization, indisutrialization, privitization, urbanization, and the list goes on), but efforts persist to maintain the biodiversity of our food systems. We could write a book outlining these efforts, but for now we’ll settle for sharing an overview of just six of them…
6 (of many!) seed saving efforts from around the world
~ Ecuador ~
The “Seed Guardians Network” connects families in Ecuador that protect agrodiversity and regenerative practices. They exchange amongst themselves a wide variety of seeds, with the assurance that they were harvested organically and sustainably. At the same time, the network is a space to share knowledge and experiences within the practice of permaculture and agroecology among peers.
~ England ~
LFSB is a network of food growers and gardeners dedicated to saving, storing, and distributing open-pollinated seeds. The LFSB connected the city’s seed custodians, offering free seeds to anyone with a London postal code each year.
Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute (IMAP)
~ Guatemala ~
IMAP works to save, conserve, and adapt native and heirloom seeds, protecting native seeds and promoting their use, with benefits today and for future generations. The biodiversity program’s activities are coordinated through the Seed House, a living seed bank on their premises. They offer a diversity of seeds so that anyone can start a family vegetable garden using quality seeds adapted to local conditions. The members of this network are paid directly and immediately to help ensure their families’ economic well-being.
Pun Pun Centre for Self Reliance
~ Thailand ~
Pun Pun is a small organic farm, seed saving center, and sustainable living and learning center. They seek to bring back the tradition of seed saving amongst farmers and growers by collecting, propagating, and exchanging indigenous and rare varieties. When they have enough, they distribute them through their loose network of other organic farmers and communities.
~ Hungary ~
“Magház Community Network for Agricultural Diversity” sees its primary mission as connecting organizations and individuals who work to preserve and expand the diversity of cultivated plants in the Carpathian Basin. They collect and distribute old or lost and newly acquired knowledge materials related to plant cultivation, share the acquired knowledge through various channels and hold trainings, create and maintain Community Seed Banks, organize and support seed fairs, and more.
Agdal Brahim Id Achour Initiative
~ Morocco ~
As part of the larger agro-ecological project, the land donated to Dar Si Hmad has been used to build the first seed library in the region, Tin’Amoud. It is a space for safeguarding local heirlooms and perpetuating the tradition of bartering and sharing unique and adaptable seeds to the dry and semi-dry local conditions. More detailed information about the project and journey can be found here
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Image credit: ©2019 CIAT/Georgina Smith
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