Sustainability seed saving & climate change Presentation by Shane Woods Wildrose Heritage Seed Company

“when the spring comes” Music by: Sergey Saliev Video by: tuan phong https://youtu.be/QcfIroNI3NU

The Brundtland Report (1987). Defines sustainability Defintions Sustainability The Brundtland Report (1987). Defines sustainability  as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Responsibility Oxford Dictionary defines responsibility as “A moral obligation to behave correctly towards or in respect of.

SEED DISVERSITY IN 80 YEARS

SUSTAINABLE SEED SAVING The importance of saving ‘Heirloom’- Open pollinated seeds (10 reasons) Heirloom vegetables are self-sufficient. Heirloom seeds produce tastier Organically grown heirloom produce is healthier - more nutritious Heirloom seeds create a legacy- help save seed diversity losses Heirloom seeds are rich in history- cultural history They are far less expensive in the long run- you purchase once Heirloom seeds adapt overtime on their own- they become hardier and more disease resistant to regional conditions Heirloom seeds offers a wider variety of selection that you will not find in any grocery store They are environmental-friendly- You won’t need a plastic bag nor will you have to operate your vehicle Connection to People-develop a connection with friends, family and neighbors. Share your knowledge.

Did you know: 75% of global food biodiversity has become extinct in the past 100 years. 60% of the remaining gene pool of crop plants is inadequately conserved and studied. 90% of the remaining gene pool of crop plants is not being used commercially. All of our cultivated plants depend on human care. They don't grow in the wild, only in gardens and farms. That means if nobody grows a particular variety and saves its seeds, that variety becomes extinct forever. A century ago, millions of seed-saving gardeners and farmers kept our plant varieties alive. They maintained thousands of "heritage" or "heirloom" varieties as part of traditional agricultural practice. But in modern times, people stopped saving their own seeds, leaving the job up to seed companies and gene banks. Unfortunately, there are only about 250 seed companies in North America, and only a handful of people working at government seed banks. The work of millions of ordinary people just can't be done by a relatively small number of professionals, however skilled and well-equipped they may be.