Why are so many people obsessed with killing great swathes of precious biological flora? Something is clearly wrong and the topic crops up all the time. A recent article in the Telegraph refers to extreme land use policies, most of them behind closed doors, that are bound to result in “dead zones” in seawater, dead ecosystems in arable land, and even other physical alterations of habitats. Surely we don’t need more death, pain and sorrow? Why is it that in pursuit of progress and consumption, we often overlook the intrinsic value of earth’s vital resources and push so hard to take any invasive invasive species for ourselves?
Many of us don’t realize how important seeds are in our food system, and why getting them right is a vital step in ensuring good health. Worldwide, many people struggle to get the plant or animal seeds they want into the food system, because the small plots and various locations of land these seeds are planted on don’t suit our lifestyles, and seeds in the wild aren’t always surviving. This is especially problematic for vulnerable populations such as crop, bean and legume cultivars, and biofuel crops. Therefore, we often try to get them in, through regional markets, where there is sometimes a small amount of seed available. But it isn’t just about getting seeds to us. Seed swapping and financing are hugely important too, and bringing people together to discuss where seeds should be cultured, or to point out the drawbacks of some plants is key to enabling sound recommendations.
There are some extremely exciting ideas going on for planting seeds today. One is the creation of a new Seed Ambassador Network, led by Conservation International, The Zero Emissions Foundation, The Catholic Development Service (CDS), and the Environmental Defence Fund. In 2012 they established a seed bank in Langsa, Sweden, and recently released a set of principles and guidelines for people who want to become Seed Ambassadors. I hope that this will result in the revitalization of the whole seed exchange movement, both locally and internationally. People around the world are interested in planting the seeds of the future, and this is an important step in taking it to a mass scale.
Another new initiative is called the Quorum Seed Bank. It’s in collaboration with The International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Society for Sustainable Agriculture (ISSA), and the EC and UN. The bank is in Brazil and currently in its preliminary stages. We are in a massive food fight.
Many of us don’t realize how important seeds are in our food system, and why getting them right is a vital step in ensuring good health. Worldwide, many people struggle to get the plant or animal seeds they want into the food system, because the small plots and various locations of land these seeds are planted on don’t suit our lifestyles, and seeds in the wild aren’t always surviving. This is especially problematic for vulnerable populations such as crop, bean and legume cultivars, and biofuel crops. Therefore, we often try to get them in, through regional markets, where there is sometimes a small amount of seed available. But it isn’t just about getting seeds to us. Seed swapping and financing are hugely important too, and bringing people together to discuss where seeds should be cultured, or to point out the drawbacks of some plants is key to enabling sound recommendations.
There are some extremely exciting ideas going on for planting seeds today. One is the creation of a new Seed Ambassador Network, led by Conservation International, The Zero Emissions Foundation, The Catholic Development Service (CDS), and the Environmental Defence Fund. In 2012 they established a seed bank in Langsa, Sweden, and recently released a set of principles and guidelines for people who want to become Seed Ambassadors. I hope that this will result in the revitalization of the whole seed exchange movement, both locally and internationally. People around the world are interested in planting the seeds of the future, and this is an important step in taking it to a mass scale.
Another new initiative is called the Quorum Seed Bank. It’s in collaboration with The International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Society for Sustainable Agriculture (ISSA), and the EC and UN. The bank is in Brazil and currently in its preliminary stages. We are in a massive food fight.
Comments
Post a Comment