Iskashitaa: Harvesting Hope Empowering Dreams

We met Barbara Eiswerth while she was attending the International Seed Library Forum. She is the founder and director of Iskashitaa Refugee Network whose mission is to empower and help build local relationships for refugees in Tucson through unique programs such as harvesting, food preparation, sewing and crafts, English as a second language, and advocacy.

Barbara Eiswerth at International Seed Library Forum

At the opening Seed Library event, Barbara and Iskashitaa staff person Sherrell were handing out slices of gigantic local grapefruit and talking to folks about the work of Iskashitaa. They were also trying to wrangle up volunteers for the weekly harvest of fruit and vegetables from underutilized food resources around Tucson such as backyard and streetside fruit trees. Like the many crates of grapefruit being handed out at the event, the quantity of fruits and vegatables that go unused and thrown in the landfill is astonishing. Iskashitaa gathers together refugees, volunteers, and homeowners to harvest this food and then redistribute it. They also sell at the local Farmer’s Market.

Iskashitaa headquarters

The next harvest would take place in a few days while we were still in Tucson. This would be the perfect opportunity to tag along and glean with the best of them.

glean, verb:
to gather or collect (something) in a gradual way
to search (something) carefully
to gather grain or other material that is left after the main crop has been gathered

On Wednesday, May 6th, I drove out to the Iskashitaa headquarters and met Chloe the Harvesting and Farmer’s Market Coordinator, several volunteers and the three refugee harvesters who I would be working with, Adam from Aljendae, Darfur, Marim from Mt Nuba, Sudan, and Kali from Butan. We would be heading out to a gated community in the Catalina foothills to pick grapefruit.

Sherrell and Cindy prepping for Market

Grapefruit harvest

The view was picturesque with lavish yards and landscapes filled with abundance. Barbara pointed out many different fruit trees, bushes, and edible flowers. Many were exotic citrus filled with ripe branches of sweet tartness. The tree we headed for was moderate in size and the grapefruit large, thick skinned, and mild.

Pineapple guava flowers a sweet melt-in-your mouth insanely wonderful edible flower.

The harvest works based on an equal exchange of labor, food, and generosity. Here’s how it works… home owners or businesses contact Iskashitaa when they have fruit or produce available to be gleaned. Then the harvest team swoops in to pick the food and carry it off to be redistributed through the group. It is that easy.

Catching the fruit

While we are picking, Adam warns us to be careful in case some of the fruit falls. No one wants to get beamed in the head because it would likely knock someone out. We cautiously use fruit pickers to pluck the fruit from ground level while others climb into the tree and hand pick directly. After about 30 minutes all the fruit has been picked, crated, and loaded into the van with a total of about 5 crates filled with grapefruit. This team effort makes for quick gleaning and fun as we chat during our work together.

This is a fundamental aspect of Iskashitaa and all of their programs. For its not just about the food, the gleaning, or the service. It’s really about relationships, empowerment, and healing by giving refugees a safe place to learn and become a part of the Tucson community. And this in no one-way street. Many come from land-based traditions and carry an incredible wealth of knowledge about farming, foraging, and cooking. They have much to teach us of edible landscapes and maximizing resources in culturally powerful ways.

Kali from Butan

Marim from Mt Nuba

Adam from Aljendae

More fruit!

Here are Seed Stories post-gleaning from Adam Abubakar and Barbara Eiswerth:

Adam Abubakar talks about his life from farmer in Darfur, Aljendea to gleaner in Tucson, Arizona.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/adam-abubakar-talks-about-his-life-as-a-farmer-in-sudan-to-gleaner-in-tucson-arizona



Barbara Eiswerth talks about how food justice and refugee resettlement go hand in hand.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/barbara-eiswerth-talks-about-how-food-justice-and-refugee-resettlement-go-hand-in-hand


Stay connected, volunteer and help support Iskashitaa Refuge Network at:
http://www.iskashitaa.org
https://www.facebook.com/IskashitaaRefugeeNetwork

Seed Stories from the International Seed Library Forum, continued

The following are the 2nd series of seed stories that were shared with SeedBroadcast at the  International Seed Library Forum that was held in Tucson, Arizona in May 2015.

Greg Schoen shares a seed story about the Glass Gem Rainbow Corn
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/greg-schoen-shares-a-seed-story-about-the-glass-gem-rainbow-corn
Karen Fasimpaur shares her  seed story about growing food and cultivating a community seed library
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/karen-fasimaur-shares-her-seed-story-about-growing-food-and-cultivating-a-community-seed-library
Martha Retallick talks about the cherry tomatoes she is growing from the Pima County Seed Library
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/martha-retallick-talks-about-the-cherry-tomatoes-she-is-growing-from-the-pima-county-seed-library Michelle Perales talks about growing seed knowledge and learning as you go
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/michelle-perales-talks-about-growing-seed-knowledge-and-learning-as-you-go Scott Chaskey talks about the Cornwall cliff meadows and his mentor Edgar Wallis
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/scott-chaskey-talks-about-the-cornwall-cliff-meadows-and-his-mentor-edgar-wallis Jim Veteto talks about the seeds that have influenced his work as a cultural anthropologist
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/jim-veteto-talks-about-the-seeds-that-have-influenced-his-life-and-work-as-a-cultural-anthropologist

Seed Stories from the International Seed Library Forum

The following are the first series of seed stories that were shared with SeedBroadcast at the  International Seed Library Forum that was held in Tucson, Arizona in May 2015.

Gary Nabhan shares the story of his poem "The Seed of a Song"
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/gary-paul-nabhan-shares-the-story-of-his-poem-the-seed-of-a-song
 Cecelia Montoya shares her story of growing Green Chile at Isleta Pueblo
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/cecelia-montoya-shares-her-story-of-growing-green-chile-at-isleta-pueblo Elena Acoba shares her story of food, seeds and culture
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/elena-acoba-shares-her-story-about-food-seeds-and-culture Rebecca Newburn talks about seeds, seed libraries, the commons and the concept of "Face Place Story"
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/rebecca-newburn-talks-about-seeds-seed-libraries-the-commons-and-the-concept-of-face-place-story Besty Goodman talks about her journey with seeds and her work to bring back agricultural traditions
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/betsy-goodman-talks-about-her-journey-with-seeds-and-her-work-to-bring-back-agricultural-traditions Mark O'Hare shares the story of Padre Kino and the white sonoran wheat
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/mark-o-hare-shares-the-story-of-padre-kino-and-the-white-sonoran-wheathare Cindy Conner talks about cherishing the gift of seeds
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/cindy-conner-talks-about-cherishing-the-gift-of-seeds Jessica Suda shares her seed story about relationships across nature
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/jessica-suda-shares-her-seed-story-about-relationships-across-nature
Jacob Kearey-Moreland talks about seedy culture and his inspiration for positive action https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/jacob-kearey-moreland-talks-about-the-seedy-culture-community-of-toronto-positive-action

International Seed Library Forum, May 2015, Tucson, Arizona.

International Seed Library Forum Seed Swap

“If you can look into the seeds of time 
And say which grain will grow and which will not, 
Speak, then, to me, who neither beg nor fear Your favors nor your hate.” 

Macbeth Act 1 Scene 2

Thirty-one years after the first national grassroots seed conference the city of Tucson, Arizona again led the way in the seed sovereignty and food security movement as the host to the first International  Seed Library Forum . This forum was organized by Gary Nabhan (Gary along with Mahina Drees and Cynthia Anson organized the first seed conference), Justine Hernandez and the staff of the Pima County Libraries.
The intent of this forum was “to further coalesce efforts by public libraries, non- profits, universities and food banks to increase the quality, accessibility and diversity of community seed resources and also assist all those involved with seed libraries to collectively address recent regulatory challenges."

Rebecca Newburn of Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library

 In recent years seed libraries have been sprouting all over the nation. Chris Shein and Sasha Du Brul started The Bay Area Seed Interchange Library in 2000 and this action influenced Rebecca Newburn, who in 2010 created a replicable model in the Richmond Grows Seed Library . This model launched a huge movement not just here in the US but internationally and there are now well over four hundred active seed libraries with many more in the planning stages. This grassroots action has evoked demands from some state regulation boards, which threaten to limit public access to local open pollinated seeds. (You can find your states seed law at  American Seed Trade Association ).

 So for three days at the beginning of May many seed enthusiasts, farmers, activists, public librarians, ethno-botanists, civil rights lawyers and curious individuals met at the Joel D. Valdez Public Library to participate in the open sharing of seed wisdom, local lore and best practices in the radical world of seed-saving, propagation and dispersal. The forum was a mix of panels, keynote addresses, a vibrant seed swap, film, poetry and seed stories and the participatory creation of a seed library resolution. Speakers included Justine Hernandez, librarian and seed activist; Bill McDorman of the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance; Rebecca Newburn of Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library; Gary Nabhan, author and food and farming activist; Scott Chaskey, farmer and the author of Seedtime; and Cary Fowler of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault/Special Advisor to the Global Crop Diversity Trust. These speakers eloquently rooted us in the history and mission of seed libraries, crop and seed diversity issues, effects of climate change on agriculture, importance of sharing not only our seeds but the stories they hold, the ethos of seed sharing, the idea of the commons and the importance of coming together to create a resolution for the seed library movement.

 SeedBroadcast was invited to be part of this forum by our friend and librarian Justine Hernandez who has been instrumental in the formation of the extremely successful seed library system for the Pima County Libraries. Justine, along with many of the librarians that attended this three day gathering hold the belief that open access and democratic sharing of knowledge and resources is essential and by adding local varieties of seeds to the library borrowing collection is an obvious community service that fits within the libraries missions.

SeedBroadcast rolled into Tucson just in time to set up for the seed swap that was held in the patio of the Loft Cinema. Seed swaps attract a wide diversity of seeds and people and this was no exception. Many of the nation’s seed libraries were represented by their unique seed collections along with Greenhorns, Seed Savers Exchange and local Tucson seed enthusiasts.

Pinole popcorn grown by Evan Sofro and Gary Nabhan

Local seed saver and his seed collection

Seed swaps create a feverish excitement with the potential to discover a new seed variety such as the special pinole popcorn or the purple fava bean with the cracked open strip revealing its white flesh that attracted me. I carried this one around in my pocket for days I could not help but pull it put now and then to show its beauty to a new seed-loving friend. Cary Fowler told me that this was called “pocket breeding”. We met Cary last year while SeedBroadcasting at the Telluride MountainFilm Festival and it was a delight to reconnect. Cary was at the forum to present the film Seeds of Time and to keep us informed of the many varieties of seeds that are being lost and the devastating impact this will have on our access to food in the future.

 For the duration of the forum we set up the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station in the plaza outside the main library and juggled our time between the many panels and discussions, plotting with our seed-loving friends, and recording seed stories from attendees and local people that had heard we were in town and came by to share their seed stories.

Justine Hernandez and city workers visiting SeedBroadcast

Jacob Kearey-Moreland from the Toronto Seed Library

 The panels addressed a mixed variety of issues from seed library challenges, such as the state regulations, oral story banking, how to develop a mission for your seed library and many informative topics to help establish deeper roots for the seed library and food justice movement. Throughout the gathering Neil Thapar of the Sustainable Economies Law Center & Neil Hamilton of Drake University’s Agricultural Law Center, lead a participatory process to create a joint resolution. This resolution was invoked to help the seed movement address the regulatory challenges and to allow the movement to stand in solidarity around why seed libraries exist and why they stand outside the current seed legislation.

Bill McDorman presenting the Seed Library Joint Resolution

The invocation by Bill McDorman of this resolution created a celebratory collective finale for this gathering.
It was a packed few days full of shared graciousness and seed wisdom. Everyone holding the same deep love of true agricultural practices with a determination to make a stance to save our culturally relevant food systems and to create new democratic ways forward into a world that will be fit for our children’s children. It was a time of reconnection to seeds and people, the discovery of new connections and a renewed activation to keep this seed sovereignty and food security movement alive and healthy.

 “What are we doing that will be relevant in a thousand years”, asked Justine Hernandez on the first day of the forum. Many of us carried those words back home in our hearts. This was an amazing time of collective connectivity to what matters most in our lives.

Greenhorns

There was no admission fee to this conference thanks to support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Amy P. Goldman Foundation, and the Arizona Library Association. This event was presented by a collaborative effort of: Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Edible Baja Arizona magazine, The Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace’s Mission Gardens, The Loft Cinema, Mercado de San Agustín, Native Seeds/SEARCH, Pima County Public Library, and University of Arizona. Additional co-sponsors included Greenhorns, the National Young Farmers Association, the Seed Library Social Network, Seed Savers Exchange, and the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance.

SeedBroadcast would like to thank Justine Hernandez, the staff at the Pima County Libraries, Gary Nabhan and all the people who made time to share their stories with us.

Seed Stories from the International Seed Library Forum will be published in the next blog so stay tuned.

SeedBroadcasting from the International Seed Library Forum

SeedBroadcasting with the Pima Country Seed Library, 2013

SeedBroadcast will be at the International Seed Library Forum recording seed stories and sharing creative resources from the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station. We will be parked on the Joel D. Valdez Library Plaza during the entire event.

Come by and share your seed stories and seed library inspiration!

We will also be participating in the following panels:
"Oral Histories & Cultural Memory-Banking Documentation for Seed Libraries"
"Publicizing Seed Libraries and Their Missions in Your Community"

International Seed Library Forum
May 3 - 6, 2015
Joel D. valdez Main Library
Tucson, Arizona

See here for more information
http://www.library.pima.gov/blogs/post/islf2015-schedule/

https://www.facebook.com/internationalseedlibraryforum?fref=ts

Seed Teachings! Native Seed/SEARCH Seed School.

 A collection of Native Seed/ SEARCH seeds

If you have not heard of Seed School http://www.nativeseeds.org/events/seed-school then we encourage you to listen to what the seeds at Native Seed/ SEARCH have to share. 

"Seed School is a groundbreaking, six-day educational course that trains people from all walks of life to build local seed systems rooted in the ancient tradition of seed saving. Practiced by farmers and gardeners for thousands of years, seed saving strengthens food security at the community level, empowering people to reclaim control over their food supply. Students walk away from this innovative learning experience with the knowledge and inspiration to start their own independent seed initiatives, such as community seed libraries and exchanges, seed growers cooperatives, heirloom seed businesses, and participatory plant breeding projects."

 Seed School is a rare and wonderful experience where seeds are the teachers and guides that transport everyone into a shared sense of wonder, longing and seed action. Seed school is held at the Native Seed /SEARCH Conservation Center where over 2,000 varieties of arid-land adapted seeds are stored, packaged, held, honored, listened to and kept in circulation.

The seeds encase the learning. 

The recent gathering, held in April, brought people together from all over the world.  At the opening seed circle students spoke to the reasons for committing their time and energy to seed school, from feeling the necessity to change life styles, to the need to revive local food practices, wanting to pass on seed knowledge to grandchildren and a deep longing to find community.

Joy Hought, who has a  diverse background in public broadcasting, seed science, crop genetic conservation and food systems, and Rowen White, who is a seed saver, educator and co founder of Sierra Seed Cooperative http://sierraseeds.org/  were the main facilitators during the six day intensive. Guided by the seeds that surrounded the gathering space, Joy and Rowen introduced the seed school investigators to the magic of seeds, the science and genetics, pollination and breeding, the practice of seed saving, how to take this information back to their communities and the importance of the story that is held in each seed.

Learning how to save tomato seeds

The following is a poem written by Joy during the SeedBroadcast workshop on Seed Story

                                     I offer a string of seed word beads.

 Peel   treasure   secret   stowaway   traveler   message   solace   pocket
 Held close intimacy min
 Small sweaty hands                    
 A record of places, memory
 My private memory of times spent with earth.
 Messages   totems   gems   clatter   click   tumble 
 Pocket lint
 I shaped this                   
We made this 
We send this into the future
Words from then contained in now                 
To another then and then and then
Traveler   message   pocket   private
 Move across distances across time
 The seed is the traveler and I am the stowaway
 I am the donkey the seed on my back.


Rowen White sharing with students :

Listen to the seed stories shared during this years seed school:

Evening Seed Stories at Native Seed/SEARCH

SeedBroadcast met up with some Tucson seed savers at Native Seed/SEARCH retail store in Tucson, Arizona on April 14th.

NS/S
"Since its founding, Native Seeds/SEARCH has been dedicated to this calling to conserve the rich agro-biodiversity of the arid Southwest because of its genetic and cultural importance. What began as a humble operation with seeds stored in chest freezers has grown to a state-of-the art conservation facility, a host of innovative programs and educational initiatives, and an organization recognized as a leader in the heirloom seed movement. Preserved in our seed bank are nearly 2,000 varieties of aridlands-adapted seeds, many of them rare or endangered. We promote the use of these ancient crops and their wild relatives by distributing seeds to traditional communities and to gardeners worldwide. Currently we offer over 500 varieties from the NS/S collection (which we grow out at our Conservation Farm in Patagonia, Arizona) alongside native crafts, gifts, foods, and more. These one-of-a-kind seeds and items are available through our online store, annual seedlisting, and at our retail store in central Tucson."

NS/S Library housed at the retail store in Tucson

NS/S also has a Seed Library at the retail store that anyone can sign up to use with the agreement that borrowers will return their collected seeds to the Pima County Seed Library, the NS/S library, or a local seed library in other parts of the country.

This is not the only way that seeds can be shared. Local gardeners have also organized several seed swaps in the area along with a social media network called Tucson Backyard Gardening on facebook to share local gardening information. Chad and Diana are administrators for this group and said that requests keep pouring in to get involved.

Chad and Diana are local gardeners and administrators for Tucson Backyard Gardening

Several folks brought seeds to share and it seemed appropriate to use the trunk of a car to engage in this seedy business, which made everyone laugh.

Chad names 10 different varieties of beans.

A sunny look at Trumpet Vine seeds

From discussions about breeding frost tolerant sunflowers to picking out the names of different beans to sharing personal stories, the evening was serious fun and a celebration of local seeds. Here are some of the seed stories that were shared with us.

SeedBroadcasting at Native Seeds/SEARCH on April 14, 2014

Bring a seed and share a seed story.

Meet us at Native Seeds/SEARCH Retail Store in Tucson, Arizona for an evening of SeedBroadcasting and seed stories.

April 14, 2014
500 pm - 700 pm

Native Seeds/SEARCH Retail Store
3061 N Campbell Ave
Tucson, Arizona

Seed Stories from Pima County Seed Library!

Kelly Wilson , a librarian with the Pima County Library, tells the story of the opening of the Seed Lending Library and the gifting of the gourd.

Kenneth Kokroko, an anthropologist from Tucson, Arizona, shares his thoughts on seeds, seed saving and the connection between nurturing seeds and nurturing family.

Jenai Longstock tells a story about a school experiment of planting seeds in a controlled environment and the effect that had on her and her fellow classmates.

Susan Oates talks about growing native flowers in her backyard and gathering seeds to share at the Pima County Seed Library

Justine Hernandez, a librarian with the Pima County Library talks about integration of seed lending and exchange into their library system.

Pima County----Wide---- Seed Libraries

SeedBroadcast partnered up with the Pima County Seed Libraries at Joel D. Valdez, Main Library on Jacome Plaza, in Tucson, AZ, to share the seed library with passerby's, while packaging seeds, and meeting some of the folks responsible for making this seed library possible.

SeedBroadcast on Jacome Plaza

Librarians join us at the van to package seeds, and discuss seeds, seed libraries, and critical mass.

Librarian, Justine Hernandez helps people make seed balls: using clay, water, and seeds

The Pima County Seed Libraries is now in its second year and operates out of all the 27 branch locations of the Pima County Library System. Seeds are catalogued just like books, allowing patrons of the seed library to get online in their homes or local library branch and select open pollinated seeds via interlibrary loan to be sent to their nearest home library for pick up.

Seeds are cataloged along with all other library materials.

Librarian, Justine Hernandez talks about how the Pima Seed Library was started and how it functions today. 

The seed library is supported through not only the infustructure of the library system, but also the Pima county seed saving community at large. Seed savers bring extra seeds to the library to share. These include native plants, flowers, and vegetables. Some of these generous folks stopped by to visit with SeedBroadcast and share Seed Stories. Charles Bufe, a local gardening aficionado, brought several different types of tomato starts to share....a great seed story in the planting.

Charles Bufe's Zacatiran tomato plants.

We also learned that Tucson has a very broad reaching community garden network. Several of these gardeners showed up to find out more about the SeedBroadcast Seed Story Broadcasting Station and share what is growing in Tucson. This network also extends into the Public School system, which has several gardening projects implementing hands-on educational programs and gardening clubs.

Card catalog housing the seeds, and a wealth of information about growing, saving, and sharing seeds.....and some really awesome librarians!

Thank you Pima County Seed Library and all the folks we met for a wonderful day of Seed Story Broadcasting!

Pima County Seed Libraries!

SeedBroadcast and the Pima County Seed Libraries will be working together on Monday, April 15th, at the main library on Jacome Plaza, in Tucson, Arizona. Stop by to help pack seeds, share seeds and seed stories.

April 15, 2013
Seed Packaging and Story Sharing
Pima County Seed Library
http://www.library.pima.gov/seed-library/

Jacome Plaza
101 N. Stone Ave.
Tucson, Arizona
Time: 10am - 3pm

For more information contact Justine Hernandez:
justine.hernandez@pima.gov
520-594-5564

Native Seeds /Search. Stories from Seed School Graduates.

Seed School, April 2013. Semillaistas!

Matthew talks about being food independent in the arid climate of Tucson Danielle shares her thoughts on the relationship between seeds, people and the stories they carry. Robert talks about how mountain farms are a refuge from hybrid and GMO crops. Anita talks about her love of seeds. Belinda shares a seed story of corn, relationships and caring. Leah and Xochitl share their seed stories about working together and saving seeds. Simcha shares his thoughts on diversity, mobility, culture and seeds.

SeedBroadcast at Native Seeds/ SEARCH in Tucson.

“What we are really looking for,” the elders replied, “are the seeds for the foods our grandparents used to grow.”

 

We have just arrived back from the SeedBroadcast 2013 spring tour of the Southwest.  This exploration was initiated by an invite from Greg Esser of Desert Initiative http://desertinitiative.org/  based in Phoenix, to attend their first ever Feast on the Street art event, (more on this in an upcoming blog). To make the most of this trip we made several contacts in the area and arranged, with the help of many, to partner with other seed organizations in this region to initiate critical dialogues through the culture of seeds, seed saving and local growing practices.

Our first stop was to the Native Seeds/ SEARCH http://www.nativeseeds.org/  where the annual spring Seed School was in full swing. The school is a groundbreaking educational program that trains people in the history, science, and business of seeds to construct a new sustainable seed paradigm, http://nativeseeds.org/index.php/events/seed-school .  It was one of those magic moments when the timing, for some reason, was perfect and we were graciously welcomed into the fold.

Bill McDorman, who is now director of NSS is the visionary behind this school and it was through the misfortune of a bicycle accident in Flagstaff that kicked into gear the first seeding of his dream. To hear this unique story and the vision of Native Seeds/SEARCH listen to Belle Starr, Bill's partner and Deputy Director of NSS.

The school attracts a diverse group of seed devotees from all over the world and from a variety of backgrounds and interests. This year's group included participants from Mexico, Great Britain, and the Navajo Nation, an entomologist, a film-maker, those wanting to make a significant change in their lives and those with hopes to start seed companies and co-operatives back in their communities. The students spend a week learning and experiencing the magic of the place, through the exchange of ideas and knowledge in the presence of other seed fanatics and surrounded by the precious seeds themselves.

 The NSS conservatory center holds an active seed bank which is at the heart of NSS conservation efforts. This bank holds approximately 1,900 varieties of traditional southwest crops, over one half of this collection are comprised of the three sisters, corn, beans and squash, with additional unique and rare crop varieties.  To learn more about these seeds and the seed bank listen to Collections Manager, Melissa Kruse-Peeples and Evan Sofro, the Conservation Farm Manager. The energy and passion that emanates from Bill and the other seed facilitators is contagious. You feel yourself becoming swept up in the potential that this seeded landscape holds.  Bill inspires just by breathing.  "It's easy to save seeds," he tells us "just start with a few at the beginning do not take on too much. Take a few varieties and then build from there."

Rowen White from the Mohawk community, seed school facilitator and a seed steward, Joy Hought, the Director of Seed School, talks about her facsination with the science and aesthetics of seeds. The seeds disperse their magic to all that gather, shifting the atmosphere to hope and encourgement.

Closing circle.

Lives are changed, and new relationships are built.  No one looks back, the seeds and dreams are held in reverence. So if you are looking for some hope and perhaps a gentle change from these upside down times we recommend a visit to this unique and special place.

Stephen, Development Assistant, talks about how seeds changed his life.

SeedBroadcast at Native Seed/SEARCH

SeedBroadcast is now at Native Seed/SEARCH in Tucson, Arizona broadcasting seed stories, sharing seedy resources, and listening to the stories of folks during the NS/S Seed School.

We will be here for another day, through Friday, April 12...and hope to learn more from the genius of seeds sprouting out through all the amazing people we are meeting.....we will be sharing more, soon!