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SeedSavers.net Website

Video: Guardians of the Seed 3 Minutes 42 Seconds
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Welcome to our Virtual Tour Of Our Garden!
Newsletter
Events And Workshops
Handbook
Find Local Seed Networks in Your State
Our Favourite Links
Projects and Activity focus, Australia & International

Video: Guardians Of The Seed

As progress moves towards industrialisation and modernisation of farming and food processing a sad casualty is biodiversity as third world and traditional farmers are encouraged to adopt modern hybrid varieties and chemical farming techniques, often unsuited to their environment and needs. Along with this is a loss of traditional knowledge of the cultural, nutritive and medicinal uses of food plants.

Guardians Of The Seed is a a small clip from our upcoming documentary film highlighting how traditional farmers act as the preservers of biodiversity and traditional culture. Filmed in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, India, Sri Lanka, Umbria, Taiwan, France and Italy.

ABOUT US

Michel & Jude Fanton - Founders Of SeedSavers.net

About the Seed Savers Network

OUR AIMS

The Seed Savers' Network has the following charitable and educational purposes in its deeds...

To develop and promote:

* Educational programmes for the preservation of open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds and the genetic diversity of plant varieties;

* Non-profit seed exchange programmes;

* Agricultural and horticultural programmes with particular emphasis on the propagation of open-pollinated plant varieties;

* Preservation gardens for open-pollinated plant varieties;

* Seed banks for non-hybrid plant varieties;

* Scientific research relating to the above matters, either alone or in conjunction with a public university or other institution.

To Provide:

* Financial and educational assistance to community development projects - local and overseas;

* Open-pollinated seed stock to individuals, groups and communities.

OUR STORY SO FAR

The Seed Savers' Network was founded in 1986 to preserve the diversity of our cultural plants. Our activities include a newsletter, seed exchange, seed bank, frequent events and workshops and the publication of a best selling handbook on the subject in Australia. A version for cold climates is currently being published in the UK.

Our work is funded solely by our subscribers. We function on very limited resources, with the help of many volunteers.

Some of our achievements

* We have had over 5,500 varieties come through our seed bank;

* Over 10,000 people have been directly involved with Seed Savers;

* 20,000 sample packets of original seeds are made up each year by volunteers from the Tamborine Mountain Seed Savers' group for us to give away. Banora Point Garden Club near Tweed Heads began packing seeds too in March 1997;

* 23,000 copies of The Seed Savers' Handbook sold in the first ten years

* Over 1,300 varieties of seeds and other planting materials are offered in our Spring newsletters;

* Seed Savers' has helped to establish Seed Networks in a number of other countries such as Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, India, Japan, Solomon Islands and The Philippines.

Local Seed Network information

For many years, Seed Savers seed bank in Byron Bay has been the "centre" of the Seed Savers' Network, providing leadership, vision, enthusiastic energy and seeds to everyone who would listen and learn.

Happy Local Seed Savers in Adelaide show their spirits

In 2002, the decision was made to change the format of the programme through a process of "decentralisation", i.e., encouraging people all across Australia to form their own seed saving networks and share in the responsibility and pleasure of promoting locally adapted seeds. The concept of "Local Seed Networks" was born.

By mid 2007 we had completed our five year plan towards the goal of setting up at least sixty Local Seed Networks (LSNs) and are well into the process of sending out all seeds in bulk from our central seed bank in Byron Bay to these Local Seed Networks.

If you're a committed seed saver, and have a mind for organisational protocols, we invite you to join us in this exciting and challenging journey. We send a Charter and Guidelines, as below, which outline what we offer and what we expect of a Local Seed Network. If you agree to this, we send a Questionnaire that prompts your group to decide on matters such as its name, its aims, where and how often it will meet and what its target audience might be. Seed Savers then sends a set of posters and pamphlets to you for promotion and sets up a webpage on this website for your LSN.

We have a vibrant, participatory network of networks all across the country. No matter where you live, there should be an active Local Seed Network near you. If not, please consider starting one up! Join us now and let's build a healthier future together!

What are Local Seed Networks?

A local seed network is a group of people who enjoy swapping seeds and cuttings as much as they enjoy sharing stories and good company. Many people have told us how much they have enjoyed getting together with other growers in their area, and suggested that we might help groups get started. The Local Seed Networks project is our way of sharing Seed Savers Network's knowledge, tools, and encouragement to anyone who wants to get seedy with their neighbours!

Why are Local Seed Networks important?

The basic answer to many of today's problems with poor-quality corporate-bred vegetables is quite simple: grow your own! If you're on this site, you probably are already a gardener and appreciate the tasty rewards of a simple kitchen garden.

Preserving local and traditional varieties is incredibly important. Local Seed Networks are an excellent way to help maintain healthy varities in our gardens and on our plates.

If you're interested in forming a local group, please email Loretta Faulkner at infoatseedsavers.net to help you get started.

Local Seed Network Charter

Inaugurated May 2004

Amended in March 2007

The purpose of this Charter is to provide a definition and set of guidelines for a Local Seed Network (LSN) that will help to direct their activities and also serve to unite LSNs under The Seed Savers' Network (SSN) banner with a shared vision and aims.

Definition of a Local Seed Network

A Local Seed Network is a group, registered with The Seed Savers' Network, of three or more people living in the same bioregion who swap seeds and planting material with the purpose of conserving open-pollinated varieties of food plants.

Aims

* To find, grow and distribute locally adapted seeds, particularly of vegetables and herbs as well as plants that are propagated by tubers, cuttings, rhizomes, bulbs, etc,

* To adapt new varieties to local conditions,

* To promote the practice of seed saving and the importance of conserving diversity in our food crops,

* To support other LSNs by sharing knowledge, skills, seeds and planting material.

Guidelines

As a Local Seed Network of The Seed Savers' Network, we ask that you:

* Focus your plant conservation efforts on open pollinated vegetable seeds and other culinary plants,

* Refrain from illegal or restricted plants,

* Establish your LSN as (or within) a non-profit organisation so that any revenue generated by your activities is directed back into your network rather than distributed amongst members,

* Behave in a cooperative, tolerant, inclusive and respectful manner to fellow members and other Local Seed Networks,

* Meet or run events at least three times each year,

* Sign up subscribers to The Seed Savers' Network, as below,

* Keep in regular contact with The Seed Savers' Network.

Subscribing to The Seed Savers Network

We like to keep costs down for LSNs while they are establishing themselves. Hence we ask that as a minimum, for the first year the coordinator of the LSN becomes a subscriber to Seed Savers; in the second year a second person subscribes and from the third year there is at least a third subscriber (including the coordinator). The cost is $30 for one year or $50 for two years subscription.

Support Offered by the Seed Savers' Network

The support the Seed Savers' Network offers includes:

Starter Kit

* a free web page on the Seed Savers website for LSNs to promote their activities and gain new members,

* a free set of a dozen seed saving posters,

* 100 page Local Seed Network Manual for $20 post paid with ideas and methods on how to run a local seed network

Ongoing Support

* general administration, including web site administration,

* technical advice on all aspects of the seed saving process and coordinating a seed network,

* publicity for LSNs around Australia through Seed Savers' public profile and media contacts,

* support visits to LSNs (to be arranged well in advance),

* back-up storage facilities for particularly vulnerable varieties,

* production of the bi-annual Seed Savers newsletter that has seed-related information and LSN activities.

Training

* Workshops by arrangement,

* Curricula for seed saving courses.

Public Liability Insurance

Provided LSN events are advertised as SSN events, our insurance covers events:

* public liability to $10m,

* product liability to $10m,

* on public land,

* volunteer workers compensation cover for all volunteers over the age of five.

Please phone to clarify before you run events. Copies of the insurance policy are available from SSN by email.

Resources at Bulk Prices

Seed Savers offers resources either for use by LSNs or for them to sell as income generation including:

* The Seed Savers' Handbook, $25 post paid ($15 for five or more copies),

* Local Seed Network Manual, $20 post paid ($15 for three or more copies),

* Seed to Seed, Food Gardens in Schools, 90 pages, $20 post paid ($15 for five or more copies),

* Silical gel ($14.30 for 450g bag),

* Posters of four designs, set of ten $20 posted in a tube (bulk prices available).

Promotional Materials

* posters for training and promotion,

* pamphlets for education and recruiting.

Bulk Seeds

* approximately twice a year we email you a list of our excess seeds,

* seeds are available any time for the cost of postage.

Actively Networking LSNs

We publicise Local Seed Networks in newspapers and magazines, on radio and TV and at conferences whenever possible. We also encourage organisations, multicultural, family or community groups that may be interested, or even active, in saving traditional varieties of food plants, to commence an LSN formally or to join with you.

INTERNSHIPS

Internships: Temporary slow downs

Interns a barrowful of laughs, by the shovel load. Our interns work and sometimes get to play together. Here Megumu Ogata is practising a bit of shovel leaning (she is not very good at it) while Leyla Cabugos from Santa Barbara, USA, is attempting to meditate while being wheelbarrowed around by Shinji Kuno.

While we love to have interns here at The Seed Centre, we find that a great deal of our time goes into training them. That means projects that require long periods of uninterrupted concentration are neglected.

We have therefore made the decision to postpone having any interns from July 2003 until we have made a substantial start to building the Seed and Food Education Centre that will house training facilities, the seed bank and offices. We anticipate reopening applications for internships by the middle of 2005.

We offer training in Permaculture gardening, seed production, seed banking and networking to people who are either keen to work, or are already working, on Permaculture and seed saving projects overseas or in communities. We choose only people who are seriously committed to acquiring and passing on skills in community seed saving.

Interns learn all stages of seed production, from seed to seed, to observe and record varieties and the many aspects of seed banking. Past interns are now working in projects in the Pacific, South East and South Asia and South America.

Training

The training process is participatory and tailor-made to each intern's needs and interests. It includes:

* formal one-to-one sessions with Jude and Michel Fanton who are the directors of The Seed Savers' Foundation, and with the seed banker Loretta Faulkner;

* on-the-job training under the supervision of these people and long term volunteers;

* research projects - tailored to your needs - in our extensive ethno-botanical library.

Subject areas and activities include:

* Nursery skills - viability tests, sowing seeds, caring for and transplanting seedlings;

* Gardening - transplanting, labelling, recording, hand pollination

* Seasonal Seed production - selection, collection, recording, drying, cleaning

* Seed banking - accessioning, databases, storage methods, distribution

* Seed networking - newsletters, media, curators, regeneration of seeds

Projects at the Seed Centre

In 1999 a mixed orchard was planted according to the plant area of origin and surrounded by perennial borders of comfrey, lemongrass etc. There are sections on the Mediterranean region, the Andes, Central Asia and South East Asia.

In 2000 we built a small bamboo structure with a shingled roof, established a chicken run and made plans for the construction of a new seed bank and office.

In 2001 we improved our system of labelling and trialling varieties with the recording of fifteen varieties of sweet potatoes, with the increase in the production of bulk seeds of many varieties of vegetables, in particular lettuces; we enhanced our website.

In 2002 we maintained all of the above, devolved to over thirty local seed networks around Australia and improved the recording of performance of varieties.

In 2003 we kept on maintaining, ran an open day in May with over 1000 visitors, sold seeds produced on the land, some interns produced booklets for presentations to national events and pruned the fruit trees heavily as they are now sizable.
Charges

Training fees are negotiable for interns and for external students. Scholarships for overseas seed workers are available on request. Shorter term training attracts a higher weekly charge than longer.
Your Multicultural Hosts

We have been hosting over a hundred people, and receiving visits from many more, from a diversity of countries. We speak French and some Japanese.
Accommodation

This is flexible as Byron Bay offers many options. We are able to send you a list. We have budget intern accommodation here and sometimes a room in the family house is available. A charge will be made on a sliding scale according to length of stay and means.
Placement

Seed Savers has good project partners in the Pacific, S E Asia, South America, Africa and the Indian subcontinent and may be able to negotiate placement with one of these projects. <
Courses

We run six-day courses on volunteering overseas in the first week of each April and October. Five of our interns first made contact with us as participants of these courses.
Annual Conference

Each last weekend in October we hold a conference with speakers in the morning and workshops in the afternoon. In even years it is held near a capital city and in odd years at The Seed Savers Centre.
Location - The Seed Savers' Centre, Byron Bay

Training is carried out at the premises of The Seed Savers' Network comprising an office, seed bank, one acre of Permaculture gardens and the Fanton home.

The site is mostly level ground with rolling edges, adjoining railway and council land and wetlands. It is just 2 km from the Post Office and 600m from the beach, 400m to a golf course. Since early 1998 gardens have been established on the rapidly diminishing lawns. There is a brick house and a large shed allowing space to process seed parcels and winnow, clean, condition and store seeds.

The site is used to teach biodiversity conservation in a Permaculture context, showing the harvesting and processing of products grown at the Centre and demonstrating urban food production and best seed production and saving practices. It is a repository for under-utilised fruits, nuts, original vegetables and fibre, forage, medicinal and oil producing plants, with a special collection of gingers, bananas and yams.
Varietal Trials

We do grow-out trials on some of the thousands of species and varieties from the seed bank and network. Being in the subtropics and having fine dark loam on yellow podzollic clay, the site is suited to a wide range of plants. The seedbank accessions are being grown out, compared, documented and rejuvenated progressively.
Plant Conservation & Utilisation

Utilisation of plants is very much linked to their conservation and is an important part of our project. We acknowledge that there is a lot of know-how in developing countries where the corporate sector has not yet totally spoon-fed the masses. We therefore particularly welcome visitors, interns and teachers from the two thirds world. The Centre attracts masters and students of traditional farming practices, food and spice preparation, fibre manufacture, bamboo craft, traditional types of agriculture including traditional pest management and indigenous microorganisms.

SEEDSAVERS.net

Get involved with a Local Seed Network or set up your own.

Local Seed Networks are the future of seed saving in Australia. We are dedicated to helping this network grow, flourish, and propagate!

Look for your closest Local Seed Network in editions of Gardening Australia's Organic Gardener magazine or simply search here at the Seed Savers website: http://www.seedsavers.net/lsn

Order Local Seed Network Manual, $20 post paid: https://secure.paradigm4.com.au/seed/payment.html

Projects and Activity focus, Australia & International

Kids in Sarbour, Western Afghanistan, celebrate their good works

To date, Seed Savers' Network has helped to establish networks in a number of countries including Cambodia, Cuba, the Solomon Islands, Ecuador, Argentina and Italy. We have delivered Community Seed Bank Training to government and non-government workers, agriculture teachers and lecturers, women's groups and farmers.

Our Projects http://www.seedsavers.net/projects/index.jsp#projects section is where you'll find the latest information on what the Seed Savers' Network is up to here, and overseas.

Projects are being added all the time, so check back here or subscribe to our Seed Savers News mailing list to stay in touch!

Of course, nothing would happen if it weren't for the extraordinary people who visit, volunteer, and advise us every day. Check out the People section http://www.seedsavers.net/projects/index.jsp#people and you might be surprised to see a face you know! If you'd like to get involved, check out the list of opportunities we offer and see what might suit your time, talents, and tastes.

There's always a couple dozen activities floating around the place. You'll see mention on the website if we've had a chance to write something. Otherwise, it might be in the Activities section http://www.seedsavers.net/projects/index.jsp#activities where we attempt to keep a current list.

Projects

Here's a listing of the latest projects. Or see the complete list, by region http://www.seedsavers.net/projects/byregion_index.jsp

There is Nutrition in Semi-cultivated Areas: http://www.seedsavers.net/projects/1211110554_6989.jsp Compared to garden produce, food from the wild and semi-cultivated areas has many superior properties, such as more anti-oxidants and density of flavour. Wild and semi-wild plants are adaptable, plentiful and free. Here Jude Fanton looks at the shades of grey between weed and food plants.

Interns Report By Christina Browning in Chiang Mai: http://www.seedsavers.net/projects/1211108886_6678.jsp Christina works with the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN) a local organisation in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Karen people are an ethnic group that lives in both Thailand and Burma. In Burma, they are the third largest ethnic group and have a state in the south-east, Karen State.

Pacific Regional Activities: http://www.seedsavers.net/projects/1081734918_22778.jsp Seed Savers Network supports a range of activities and initiatives throughout the Pacific region, especially in the Solomons, East Timor, and Papua.

© 2008 Seed Savers' Network

CONTACT US

P.O. Box 975 Byron Bay, NSW 2481, Australia
PH/FAX +61 02 6685 6624, +61 02 6685 7560
www.seedsavers.net
info @ seedsavers.net
Visitor Location - Clustr Maps - Map To Locate Seed Savers: http://www4.clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=http://www.seedsavers.ne...

Link to this website: http://www.seedsavers.net