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Saving Seeds, Saving Ecosystems
Seed Savers Exchange is a small non-profit that’s making a big difference. For a half century, they’ve been saving seeds, getting them out into gardens, telling their stories — and cultivating biodiversity that has been diminished with the rise of corporate agriculture and seed production.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the best way to save seeds is to plant them, according to Mike Bollinger, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange. While the non-profit does maintain a seed bank, much of their work is devoted to getting seeds out into the world, into gardens and farms where they can thrive and multiply — and nourish those who grow and share them.
Located in Decorah, Iowa, Seed Savers has a large farm where they cultivate genetic diversity, including vegetables, flowers, fruits, and even heritage livestock. You can get and share seeds through their exchange and their seed catalog.
More Episodes
Episode 174 – Commerce, the Destruction of Nature, and the Uphill Path to Sustainability
Commerce, the Destruction of Nature, and the Uphill Path to Sustainability Sara Dant‘s book, "Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West," covers the long history of human habitation on the North American continent — from the time that megafauna like...
Episode 173 – Colorado Peaches: Delicious for the Eaters, Fair for the Workers
Colorado Peaches: Delicious for the Eaters, Fair for the Workers Gwen Cameron grew up on Rancho Durazno, her family's peach farm. She was pursuing a career in journalism when her father asked her if she wanted to come back and take over the farm. She agreed and never...
Episode 172 – Black Farmers Regenerating Land in the Face of Historical — and Current — Racism
Black Farmers Regenerating Land in the Face of Historical — and Current — Racism P. Wade Ross‘s great grandfather was a runaway slave who bought land in Texas. His descendants founded Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers Community Based Organization, a non-profit that...