January 2009 - Save Seeds for Food Security

We've all seen, heard, read the statistic that the average food product/produce travels 1500 miles to reach our table. At the turn of the last century, one out of every two people farmed; currently that number is less than one in fifty. Most of our country's food is produced by megafarms. A full 75% of the global vegetable seed market is controlled by a handful of corporations. Scary thoughts when one realizes that not only our food, but also the means to produce our food (seeds) are manipulated by huge corporate entities. Manipulation here refers to genetic modification without labeling, as well as restrictions on growers' rights to save seeds, such as variety patenting and licensing agreements. Manipulation also includes horrors like Terminator Technology which makes seeds sterile and, therefore, useless to save and plant.

How can we achieve true food security? I believe food security is attainable when growers control the means of their own production. By growers I mean you and me, small backyard gardeners and local farmers, your neighbors and farmers' market vendors. The little people growing for family, friends, neighbors and community have many advantages over the megafarms and multinational corporations. We have no stockholders to answer to; we have incentive to grow the best tasting and healthiest food instead of the most uniform or hardiest to ship; we keep our dollars within our community by selling to, or buying from, our community members; we create varietal adaptability in our seeds to our microclimates and are not forced to settle for regional varieties. We achieve true food security when we save own seed.

Seeds have been saved by growers since the beginning of time, but we've become dependent on seed companies for our supply for about a hundred years. The seed industry has done little to improve open-pollinated varieties that come true from seed, focusing instead on 'trade secret' hybrid varieties and biotechnology to create universally-accepted, marketable products for the industry's own financial interests. Industry-developed produce is created for the large scale processors and marketers, not for taste or nutrition.

By saving seed, you can preserve varietal characteristics and develop strains specifically adapted to your microclimate. When you save and grow seed over several generations, the seed can very specifically modify to excel in the area where you continue to grow that crop. For the best-tasting varieties that YOU prefer, save seed from those you like.

Some seed companies, by manipulating seed DNA like Terminator, force growers to buy seed each year. By saving seed we create our own choices and preserve our right to save seeds.

At the Calhoun County Farmers' Market, both vendors and customers have discussed the Victory Gardens that many Americans maintained during World War II to keep their food supply close at hand. New twist on a proven process: Become independent of big business and save seeds while growing fresh and healthier food for ourselves and community. This alone increases true food security and puts a human face on our food supply while encouraging economic development where we live. By saving, using and sharing non-manipulated seed stock, we help keep the seed alive and preserve its heritage while preserving the rights of growers to save seed. Start with certified organic open-pollinated and heritage seed, the best bet to sourcing uncontaminated seed.

Once the 2009 growing season gets underway, we’ll discuss how to save and store seed, how to conduct germination tests, and more.

One more thing: Teach a child to sow and reap. Every child should know the origin of food and how to grow it. Let's pass not just our heritage seeds on to the next generation, but also our agricultural heritage. Remember that seed choices also are food choices.