SEEDING RESISTANCE
Climate change and anthropogenic disturbances are causing what Elizabeth Kolbert has termed the “sixth extinction,” a massive decline in biodiversity. This loss is particularly evident in our seed diversity which has diminished drastically over the last century. Seed vaults, which practice ex-situ conservation, are one response to the declining seed diversity which create a “backup copy” of global seeds. The unintended consequence of this method is that the seed is separated from its stewards and reduced to an unreferenced material.
While the reasons for and implications of seed saving are bound up in global networks, seed saving is inherently cultural and place-based. Seed saving is intimate, a reciprocal act between human and plant and an expression of obligations to past and future generations, as well as non-human communities. We hope this conversation reveals the myriad networks we engage when we design with plants and to inspire latent opportunities for designing, stewarding, and living with plants.
This year’s panel and event is organized by MLA students, Hannah Brown, Priyanka Parachoor, and Katherine Rossi.
The 2021 Benjamin C. Howland Lecture + Panel Discussion includes leaders in the field of seed-saving and advocacy:
Panelists:
Futurefarmers, represented by founder, artist and designer Amy Franceschini
Elizabeth Hoover, associate professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, UC Berkeley
Kristyn Leach, farmer and seed line founder/collaborator, Second Generation Seeds
Ira Wallace, writer, educator, and seed saver, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Moderated by:
Kate Hayes, Miridae
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