www.savingourseeds.org
The genetic reservoir and uniqueness of our vegetable seed heritage resides principally in three places: (1) the USDA seed bank, (2) small specialized seed companies, and (3) small family farms, especially those in ethnic communities. Unfortunately, these are all at risk. Federally sponsored government institutions such as the USDA seed bank are subject to periodic funding crises. Small, specialized seed companies (which offer many unique varieties) have low market penetration, are labor intensive, and are subject to market pressures which put them at risk. Small family farms are at risk from urbanization, rural outmigration, and economic change. In addition, multinational corporations are replacing multi-crop fields with monocultures, replacing traditional varieties with hybrids, and polluting open-pollinated varieties with genetically modified crops. Gardeners and farmers have assumed that the primary sources of seed will always be available as raw material for the food production system. Yet increasingly this assumption is unsustainable. We need to teach ourselves and our children that stewardship of our seed resources is a community responsibility that begins on the local level