Seed Saving and Biodiversity

Environmental relationships are enriched by preserving biodiversity, developing regional approaches to food, and supporting ecological farming initiatives that protect and conserve precious resources for future generations. In Atlantic Canada, two seed-saving initiatives are building on food movement needs, preserving and ensuring access to seed heritage and biodiversity.

Nova Scotia’s Seed Collections Systems

The seed collections system in Nova Scotia includes people from a wide variety of backgrounds and skill sets working toward a similar goal. Seed conservation as an important element of seed security. Data from nine interviews with individuals prominently involved with the seed network in Nova Scotia provide insights into the roles of various seed organizations including seed libraries, seed banks, gene banks, and seed companies. The project explored various aspects of their form and function, including their audiences, purposes, and their interactions, and barriers to interactions with each other. Nova Scotia’s local seed movement is attributed to growing interest in and availability of local food, and is explored here as both a result of, and a new driving force behind, the local food and food security movements. Interaction between various seed organizations is limited but mutually supportive. Project findings also provide insights about future directions of seed initiatives in the province, indicating that a greater number of geographically dispersed small seed libraries is highly desirable. Read the Nova Scotia report.

Seed Security and Biodiversity Conservation in Newfoundland

This research explored and assessed various perspectives on seed security issues in Newfoundland and intended to inform the creation of an action plan for future seed security work in Newfoundland. Drawing on ten interviews with individuals actively involved with seed saving and conservation, the report describes recent seed security efforts on the island and the current needs and assets. The unique conditions on the island include short growing seasons and harsh climatic conditions in the winter months, making the availability of locally adapted seed crucially important. Public interest in seed security is on the rise but local resources and funding to support seed activities is limited. While the demand for locally sourced seed is significant, there are still few local seed-savers. There is good seed access on the island and seeds are generally available at the quality and quantity farmers want and need, however, many seed varieties are considered to be very expensive. There is also significant concern for endangered local varieties and erosion of genetic diversity, in particular with respect to Newfoundland heritage potato seed. The study could not conclusively determine the feasibility of developing a seed bank in Newfoundland. Read the Newfoundland report.

Read the Reports:

Seed Security in Newfoundland Infographic:

Infographic credit: Kaitlyn Ranft

The Global Alliance commissioned this Compendium on seed saving, which includes an Opportunities Report by agricultural biodiversity researchers Emile Frison and Toby Hodgkin, as well as twelve commentaries from a diverse range of experts, including farmers, community activists, business representatives, researchers, and scientists to better understand where we could collectively focus our efforts to address this issue. Read the key messages from the Compendium.