Who we are

The Seed Savers' Network is an Australian non-profit organisation. It has two trusts:

The Seed Savers' Trust is for projects in Australia.

The Seed Aid Trust is for projects overseas.

Seed Savers was founded by educators and authors Jude and Michel Fanton in 1986. The principle aim of The Seed Savers' Network is to preserve agricultural biodiversity in collaboration with individual farmers, gardeners and community groups. Seed Savers has helped put the conservation of original useful plants including fruits, vegetables, medicines and fibres into the public light.

Over recent years, The Seed Aid Trust has fostered similar networks in the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Cuba, Cambodia and in south-eastern Africa, and is presently negotiating with other developing countries.

Seed Savers' major activities include:

• Establishing national, regional and local community-based seed networks of useful plants in Australia and developing countries,
• Establishing seed banks and field banks for non-hybrid locally-adapted varieties,
• Gathering, trialing and recording data on the varieties in the networks and seed banks for easy public access, for research and for exchange
• Education and training in all aspects of seed saving, banking and networking for community development projects - domestic and overseas,
• Promoting and publicising the need to conserve useful plants through the printed and electronic media, addressing and conducting public meetings and conferences,
• Disseminating information by publication of newsletters, an Australian and a UK version of The Seed Savers' Handbook, an Internet page and making regular media contributions,
• Providing technical assistance to community development projects.

 

What we believe in

• Conservation of agricultural biodiversity achieved through the active involvement of farmers and gardeners,
• Local seed production using local knowledge and varieties,
• The abundance of seeds that are produced by a home seed saver gives them more options, especially in difficult situations,
• Access to a wide range of useful plants for small sustainable agricultural systems including urban food production leading to domestic food sovereignty,
• Environmentally sensitive small-scale community development based on the sustainable management of local resources.

 

What we have been doing

The establishment of national seed networks is the basis of our activities over the last eleven years. In Australia over 10 000 farmers and gardeners have been involved in the network, exchanging seeds through the newsletter.

In other countries we have conducted Community Seed Bank Training, resulting in seed networks being established, for example in Cuba, la Red de Semillas is currently administered by the chief extensionist and the Director of Projects at the Department of Urban Agriculture, Havana.

 

Community Seed Bank Training

Australia: Community Seed Bank Training has been provided to keen gardeners, Seed Saver volunteers, garden club members and overseas NGO seed bankers. Seed Savers has brought a strong seed saving component to over 50 Permaculture Design Courses.

Other countries: The Seed Savers' Trust has been invited to train community based organisations and department of agriculture extensionists, teachers, nutritionists and women's groups to establish planting material seed networks.

Training courses have been conducted with partner agencies and funding bodies in the Solomon Islands, Cuba, Tonga and Cambodia

Further courses are now taught by some of the trainees to villagers in the Solomons, farmers and market gardeners in Cuba, school children in Tonga and villagers, particularly women, in Cambodia.

We have been called on to advise on community seed banking in Malaysia, Zimbabwe, and Nepal.

We have trained four young people to work as volunteers in overseas projects. One has been in Malawi for eighteen months and one in the Solomon Islands for three months.

Seed Savers offers training to people from overseas who work in agricultural, particularly seed networking, projects at our Seed Centre in Byron Bay.

 

Seed Savers Handbook

To produce the Handbook, Michel and Jude drew on their experience of many years of gardening with an emphasis on seed selection and correct storage.

Following the in-house publication, in early 1993, demand is ensuring the ongoing publishing and distribution of The Handbook. In the first six years 17 000 copies were sold, over 500 of which were purchased by libraries.

A cool climate version of the Handbook was also published in UK by Grover Books in 1996 and is now available throughout Europe.

The first of a series of instructional drawings on seed production for less literate people is being completed.

 

Recent Events

• Michel assisted in Harare in Oct 1998 in the establishment of a seed network for south-eastern Africa.
• Seed Savers Eleventh Annual Gathering was held in Melbourne Oct 98 with a great crowd.
• Preparation for Working in Development Course for seed savers, bankers and development workers in Oct 1998 in Byron Bay.