Thread: Seeds aren't worth saving?

Seeds aren't very sympathetic

Thank you for bringing this up. The biodiversity of life is extremely important, and even more important to us human beings when were talking about the biodiversity of our vegetables and fruits. The average diet is nutrient deficient, leading to diet related diseases. It doesn't help that major farms practice single crop agriculture. It limits our options at the grocery store, and it actually makes the soil poor over time (dust bowl).

Biodiversity is important to a good healthy soil, which is important to our crops, which equals healthy food on our plates. Not famines, or pale tasteless oranges.

I think the best way to protect these seeds is through education and outreach. Food is something we do everyday of our lives. It impacts us mentally and physically. It creates culture and is the heart of the economy. But how many courses in the public school level are dedicated solely to food and agriculture? How many classes in the public school level are dedicated to the NATIVE landscape? Why not? Why don't we culturally believe that the native landscape, and its native fruits and vegetables are worth learning about? Schools can play an important role in ensuring the biodiversity of seeds.

Another aspect of the problem is the perception that gardening is some frivolous hobby for old people.

If we had all been taught about agriculture from a young age, our perception of gardening would be entirely different. The capacity to grow good crops is the difference suffering and abundance for most cultures in the world. Without agriculture there would be no modern culture in any shape or form. The abundance that Americans enjoy can be traced back to the source, the seed and the soil. On the flip side, Haiti is one of the poorest nations and can barely feed itself. Seeds = health. Seeds = abundance.

Seeds are very important!

I don't know how well seed banks help to preserve the biodiversity (I dont even know how they work when seeds die after a number of years).

But I do know that gardeners are the forefront of preserving the diversity of seeds. We have heirloom seeds on the market, not because of seed banks, but because of families that passed down the seeds from generation to generation. Growing your own victory garden or supporting organic gardens is a good way to support the diversity of seeds.