Reflections: January 19th 2013

As SeedBroadcast gears up for the coming year we have been reflecting on all of the incredible encounters and relationships that we have made with seed savers, gardeners, local food growers, students and those who just want to have access to healthy locally grown food. These encounters have been made across the country through community events, creative workshops, gatherings and partnering with like-minded folks.  At all of our SeedBroadcast stops, which have included libraries, farms, gardens, museums and downtown street corners, we have invited people to fill out a seed survey. These surveys help guide us to define and fine tune our intent, purpose and where best to put our resources. We believe that there is a wisdom held in each locale and we are curious to learn and hopefully share the similarities and discrepancies in regards to seed saving, dispersal and the growing and easy access of healthy local food. Really we do read these surveys.

Completed surveys at the Campartiendo Semillas, Sembrando el Futuro Seed Exchange

 in Las Vegas, New Mexico, 2012

This year SeedBroadcast has committed to investing time back to the genesis of the project, the Las Vegas, San Miquel, Mora and Guadalupe Counties of Northern New Mexico. We will be gathering and dispersing ideas, skills and seeds in various locations and will continue to present what we encounter through this blog. In order to orientate ourselves we have been going back through the surveys that were completed at last years seed exchange in Las Vegas.

The following is a selection of thoughts from these surveys.

On the idea of why save and share seeds:

Andrea from Las vegas,

"To nurture and share pure natural food and plants with human kind."

Joe from Las Vegas,

"To grow food for my family." 

Kathleen from Ocate,

 "I like the quality of my crops."

Reyna from Las Vegas,

"I would like to be more self -sufficient and help ensure that there will be uncorrupted seeds for the future."

And Trina from Tecolote,

"So that others can enjoy the whole experience of growing."

On what a seed library should be:

Annabel from Anton Chico,

"It could have all kinds of seeds and all the information that an individual would need to know about the seed."

Grace from Las Vegas,

"A selection of all the seeds available in our area."

And Jeffery from Mora.

"A place where seeds of all kinds are stored and easily accessible."

On why people have stopped saving seeds:

 Kerry from Las Vegas,

"We stopped valuing them as a resource when large scale farming became more popular."

Marge from Las Vegas,

"It is lazy to just go and buy the vegetables and flowers already grown without the hassle of doing it yourself."

And Reyna from Las Vegas,

"I think people stopped saving seeds due to not being educated on preservation of them for growth. "

Our seed survey can be found here at the PARTICIPATE! page and can be filled in online. We invite you to share your thoughts and especially any seed stories that you hold. This seed story might be about the seeds your grandmother saved, the tin of corn kernels that were found in an attic, the ancient seeds you might have been given or about your favorite seeds.  Some of these stories we have been recording and you can access them here at our Seed Story Soundcloud.

But you can write them too and we will post them on the blog. 

We look forward to hearing from you.

Armand Saiia from Infinity Farm in Ribera, New Mexico sharing a seed story.