Food and Seed Sovereignty
Our UK and Ireland Seed Sovereignty Programme is at the forefront of restoring biodiversity and resilience to our seed system.
To date we have trained 580 people in beginner, intermediate and advanced seed skills; Supported 19 new growers to produce veg seed commercially, making more diversity available to all; Nurtured 62 new community growers to produce their own veg seed and grain; and supported 100 growers to grow 276 new varieties from seed, both commercially and at community level.
Food and seed sovereignty go hand in hand with regenerative agricultural practices such as composting, water harvesting and polyculture (diversity of crops), often referred to as agroecology. Agroecological approaches to food growing are key for climate change resilience as they sequester carbon, cooling the planet rather than contributing to climate change. This approach is completely juxtaposed to the industrial agriculture system which generates vast amounts of greenhouse gases, is the driver of landgrabbing globally, destroys and pollutes biodiverse habitats, keeps animals in appalling conditions and places profit before all else.
Gaia is proud to work with small, family farmers globally, supporting diverse, local, agroecological farming practices. It is these farmers who feed over 70% of the global population, on a quarter of the land.
By offering trainings in reviving indigenous seed diversity and knowledge, by facilitating immersive community processes such as dialogues, eco-cultural mapping and calendars, and through strategic advocacy collaboration, we support communities to regain confidence in their traditional knowledge and their indigenous seed varieties. We promote peer-to-peer, farmer-to-farmer exchanges, encouraging communities to link up with others doing the same.
Find out more…
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Gaia's Seed Sovereignty UK & Ireland Programme
We believe that a food revolution starts with seed. The Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme aims to support the development of a biodiverse and ecologically sustainable seed system here in the UK and Ireland. That means, wherever possible, organically produced and open pollinated seeds, grown locally to reflect the diverse growing conditions of the British Isles. Read more
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Going Deeper: Community, Seed & Knowledge in Africa
Much of our work on seed and food is known as the Community, Seed and Knowledge (CSK) programme, an approach developed by Gaia with local communities and partners over the last three decades. CSK understands that the revival of indigenous, locally-adapted seed and food systems and traditional knowledge is the foundation of climate change resilience. Read more
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We Feed the World: A Global Photographic Campaign
A global photographic initiative celebrating the small-holder farmers and fisherfolk who produce over 70% of the world's food. Featuring over 300 images, 50 photographers, 50 farming communities and 6 continents, We Feed the World demonstrates how small-scale farming not only provides the majority of the world’s food but also offers solutions to many other planetary crises. Read more
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The Seeds of Freedom film trilogy
The Seeds of Freedom trilogy charts the story of seed from its roots at the heart of traditional, diversity-rich farming systems across the world, to being transformed into a powerful commodity, used to monopolise the global food system. Seeds of Freedom (2012) was narrated by Jeremy Irons, Seeds of Sovereignty (2013) by Theo Sowa & Seeds of Justice (2015) by Jon Snow. Find out more and watch all of the films here. Read more
Related news
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Join the Seed Sovereignty team!
We’re looking for a seed enthusiast based in Scotland to take up the role of Regional Coordinator (maternity cover) for our Seed Sovereignty Programme! The programme, which began in 2017, facilitates… Read More
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Ancestral wisdom, inter-being, biocentric visions: an Earth Jurisprudence update
Every other month we collate Earth-centred inspiration from around the world; if you would like to receive updates like the below straight to your inbox, sign up here. … Read More
Useful reports & publications
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The State of Seed Survey, UK
In Spring 2021 the Landworkers’ Alliance and the Gaia Foundation Seed Sovereignty Programme worked together to survey farmers and growers across the UK to gather the views and experiences of… Read More
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Healthy Crops: A New Agricultural Revolution
First published in 1985 by agronomist Francis Chaboussou, Healthy Crops: A New Agricultural Revolution is republished online in full here for the first time! A forgotten classic, Healthy Crops offers… Read More