We had a great turn out for the Seed Saving Climate Cafe at Campy Growers.
First of all we had an overview of the current seed trade in the UK. It is clearly dominated by 3 or 4 big companies. There was a lot of chat about the importance of local seeds and growing varieties that suit our climate. Many of our Community gardens already save a lot of flower and veg seed and we also have an established seed swap event in January each year at Campy Growers. Dundee is particularly good for seed saving due to the drier climate. Seed saving also helps to preserve a lot of the genetic material we might otherwise lose. We would love to encourage more people to have a go at seed saving.
A few figures we shared:
80% of our food system relies on seeds
60% of the Global seed market is owned by 4 petrochemical companies
93% of seed diversity has been lost
1 open pollinated Vegetable seed growing company in Scotland. Seeds of Scotland.
These are the distilled highlights of the conversation. If you would like to hear more or to get involved with seed saving please get in touch. Seed saving is a fascinating and mindful process. Nature does most of the work!
WHAT DO WE WANT FOR DUNDEE?
- Collective Seed Saving e.g. Tomato Scotland Yellow
- Buy less from seed companies and access local seed eg. seed swap, Perthshire seed library.
- Seed Team- look at who grows what & create an overview to cover a bigger range.
-Scalable Seed Circle
- Seeds are easy to access locally
-Dundee Print collective- boxes/library
- Resilient Dundee Seed system
- Potential to build towards a catalogue or database
- Engage with the allotments in City
- Perennial seed saving - veg/ trees/shrubs
-Seed saving message everywhere!
-Slow organic growth
- Practical workshops
Keep an eye on the website for future updates or join in the conversation.
