Seeds

The importance of seeds…

Seeds and their protection has become an important issue on the sustainability world stage.  Questions that are being grappled with are:
  • GMO seeds: how important are they in feeding an ever growing population? Once purchased, who has ownership of those GMO seeds?
  •  Seed loss that leads to diminishing plant diversity; The importance of seed banks for our future food survival;
  • The creation of monoculture farms instead of crop diversification through organic and permaculture methods;
  • The effects of monoculture farming on bees and other important insects;
  • The effects of monoculture farming practices on our soil.

Our grandmothers all understood the importance of saving seeds. We in our generation have lost touch with the land and where our food comes from, leaving these important issues up to farmers, big business and politicians. Preserving seeds to ensure diverse plant life is something all of us can do. We all have the ability to save seeds from our gardens. It is important for each one of us to understand and be educated on the issues around seeds and the loss of this important resource.  Below some articles on this important issue…

Seeds of Doubt – The New Yorkerhttp://news.google.com Fri, 15 Aug 2014 21:31:56 GMT The New YorkerSeeds of DoubtThe New YorkerEarly this spring, the Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva led an unusual pilgrimage across southern Europe. Beginning in Greece, with the international Pan-Hellenic Exchange of Local Seed Varieties Festiva … Read more … Food diversity meets the marketplace: David Buchanan at TEDxDirigoDavid Buchanan’s book “Taste, Memory: Forgotten Foods, Lost Flavors, and Why They Matter” was released nationally by Chelsea Green Publishing in November, 2012, with a foreword by Gary Paul…Read more … Total control: is Monsanto unstoppable? – New Internationalisthttp://news.google.com Fri, 03 Apr 2015 12:33:45 GMT Total control: is Monsanto unstoppable?New InternationalistIt looks like a recipe for total control., A US Department of Justice investigation into Monsanto’s possibly illegal domination of the seed market, started in 2010, was quietly dropped in 201 …Read more …
Seed Saving Law: What Farmers Need to Know – AgriLife.orghttp://agrilife.org/texasaglaw/ Tue, 03 Feb 2015 23:56:08 -0800This case illustrates the serious consequences farmers may face for violation of laws related to seed saving. There are three main sources of protection for seed companies under the law. It is possible, and indeed, likely, that …Read more … Global seed vault offers world agriculture protection, hope …http://deltafarmpress.com/users/thermo002?intlink=ViewProfile_MyAcctButton Thu, 06 Nov 2014 11:12:00 -0800“James Bond” seed vault continues to acquire seed from around the world. Cary Fowler brings readers latest on what the vault is holding, what it means.Read more … Planting the Seeds for ChangeVandana Shiva is one of the world’s most powerful voices for global environmental justice and cultural and ecological diversity. She is the founding director of the Research Foundation for…Read more …