Food Sovereignty through Seed Saving and Exchange Northern Ireland

 Food Sovereignty through Seed Saving and Exchange

Growing healthy, sustainable food starts with seeds. We're helping community gardeners and growers to produce local food by saving seeds and sharing knowledge. 

Seed sovereignty is the right of farmers to save, use, exchange and sell their own seeds. Over the last century it has come under threat from hybrid seed types, patents and global trade agreements. Seed sovereignty movements promote a return to using diverse, open-pollinated seed that can be saved. Similarly, food sovereignty means communities have more localised control over food production. 

Our work is enabling communities across the north of Ireland to save seed and produce local food. We organise the collection, sorting and delivery of seed to groups taking part. We also deliver seed-saving training, coordinate meetings and run events promoting seed sovereignty.

Aims

To promote seed-saving, local food and to create a self-sustaining network of seed guardian gardens across the north of Ireland.  

Funders

The project is funded by Necessity until Spring 2024. 

Outcomes

• Over 100,000 seeds saved and shared since the programme began in late 2020
• 104 varieties in our 2023 seed list
• 20 active gardens saving and sharing seed across the north of the island of Ireland
• Raised the profile of seed-saving in the North of Ireland
• Started work with Libraries Northern Ireland on a pilot to promote seed libraries within the library service
• Linked with other seed sovereignty organisations including:
  • Gaia Seed Sovereignty Programme
  • Irish Seed Savers Association
  • True Harvest Seeds
  • London Freedom Seed Bank
  • Incredible Seed Library in Wales

Resources

> See our other projects in Northern Ireland 

Contact

If you'd like to know more about our work, please email our Northern Ireland team at [email protected]