Are you new to seeding and interested in establishing a seed bank in your neighborhood? Immersed in the seeding world and looking to connect with other folks and deepen your networks? Perhaps you’re an agriculturist interested in the intersection of seed lending and food sovereignty. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, you won’t want to miss Seeding the Future: The 11th Annual Seed Library Summit.
Sponsored by Seed Libraries Network and Mycorrhizal Fund, The 11th Annual Seed Library Summit is a free 1-day event that will take place on February 11, 2023, from 8 am – 3:30 pm PDT. Here’s a sneak peek of what we have in store.
Seed-sharing basics and beyond
If you’re new to seeding, you’re in luck! Seeding the Future will host a variety of sessions to get you acquainted with the basics. Our “How to Start a Seed Library” session is a great introductory conversation that will map out the time, resources, and people-power needed to start your own seed library. “Ask a Seed Librarian” is an expert-hosted panel that can act as a great follow-up.
If you’re more acquainted with seeding, other sessions that might pique your interest include “Seed Saving Basics”, “School Seed Libraries”, and “Seed Exchanges”.
Seeding skillshares and more
Seeding the Future is a great place to sharpen your skillset while sharing your knowledge and experiences with others. During the “Seed Stories” session, seasoned practitioners will discuss the lessons they’ve learned over the years, including best practices and common pitfalls.
For those interested in exploring the ways seeding can help create more regenerative futures, the following skillshares and learning sessions will provide key lessons while equipping you with tools you can use to replicate proven efforts in your own community:
- “Mobile Seed Libraries as a Response to Disasters”
- “Indigenous Community-based Seed Revitalizations & Seed Banks”
- “Seeds to Expand Climate Adaptation”
- “Landrace Gardening: Making Peace with Genetic Diversity in Seed Libraries”
We’ll also be hosting a special session, “Seed Circles: Our Seed Stories”, which will be facilitated by our partners at SeedBroadcast.
Celebrating food sovereignty and collective wellbeing
Seeding the Future’s keynote speaker will be Beata Tsosie-Peña. Beata is a noted poet and activist, the founder of Española Healing Foods Seed Library, and the Organizational Director of Breath of My Heart Birthplace, a non-profit licensed birth center and midwifery practice based in Española, New Mexico.
During the summit, we will explore Beata’s expert perspectives on food sovereignty and the ways we can use seeding to build a collaborative future. The themes of her talk will include seed sovereignty (ensuring a stable local supply of heirloom, organic, and open-pollinated seeds) as well as rematriation (the return of Indigenous heirloom seeds to their original guardians).
Register for the (free) summit today!
In an effort to make Seeding the Future accessible for all, the conference is absolutely free to attendees. Please register here. If you are inspired by our work and have the means to do so, you can also donate at the time of registration. Donations will help us to continue the seed library work by paying for our SeedLibraries.net domain name, our Cool Beans! Seed Librarians e-Newsletter service, and UpBeets! Seed Librarians’ Forum (Groups.io).
*Note: Summit sessions will be held on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once you register, you will get a link to the program, which you can use to sign up for the individual sessions that most interest you. Sessions will be recorded and available for 2 weeks after the conference.
We hope you can join us in seeding the future!
This article originally appeared on Shareable.net.
Credit: Pexels
