Seed sovereignty is food sovereignty

Jane Rabinowicz, USC Canada

1. Why Seed?

2. Realities, trends and concerns

3. The ecological seed movement in Canada today

4. The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security

Outline

Seed = Food• ‘An estimated nine out of every ten bites of food available in the world today begin with the planting of seeds’

•Nutrition begins here

•The illusion of abundance in seed catalogues

•Saving seed today means securing our food supply tomorrow

Why Seed?

Seed Food (a unique issue) ‘Control the seed, you control the food.

Control the food, you control the people’ Growing requirements are different The marketplace is different

Seed Production can be part of a healthy farm ecosystem and healthy farm business

Grow seed to support ecological farmers

Why Seed?

Realities, Trends and Concerns

The relationship between seed security and food security:

Productivity of regional crops Resilience of the cropsDecentralized control Wide germplasm BiodiversitySustainable economies

Realities, Trends and Concerns

Challenges ecological seed growers currently face:

Infrastructure Distribution capacity Skills and knowledge Finances and time for breeding Academic support Legislation Management of seed crop purity Isolation from other growers and breeders Inspiration for new growers

Seed conservation: Seeds of Diversity Canada, PGRC, local seed savers

Ecological seed production in Canada: a movement of self organizers

ECOSGN, BC Seeds, Saugeen River CSA, Organic AlbertaCoop Agrobio de QC

Industry andgovernment allies

The Ecological Seed Movement in Canada Today

Goal: A seed system that serves as a foundation for food security, climate resilience and community well-being

The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security

Objectives:1.Strengthen regional work,

build a national network2.Conserve, expand and

commercialize high quality, regionally adapted, ecologically grown, Canadian seed

Working model: build on existing momentum, partner on everything, leverage resources

The partnersUSC Canada (www.usc-canada.org) Seeds of Diversity Canada

(www.seeds.ca) Farm Folk City Folk

(www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca) Organic Alberta

(www.organicalberta.org) Everdale Organic Farm and

Environmental Learning Centre (www.everdale.org)

Quebec TBDAtlantic Canada Organic Regional

Network (www.acornorganic.org) Mrs. Bauta & The W. Garfield

Weston Foundation and

The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security

5 Program Streams

1. Support for Farmers

3. Public Access

5. Movement Building

2. Applied Research

4. Web Extension Service

Strengthened regional seed systems

Regional and national organizations able to continue the workMission integrationFinancial resourcesRegionally coordinated, nationally coherentLinked to the broader food movement in

Canada

Outcomes

Announcement of the programHiring regional coordinatorsSurvey for farmersFunds for seed events

What’s happening now?

Thank you!!!