See Beautiful Grant Applicant: Global Seed Savers

The feature below is brought to you by Global Seed Savers, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here. 

To learn more about Global Seed Savers, please visit their website page: here.

Building Resilience in the Face of Climate Realities

The Philippines was recently named the most climate vulnerable nation in the world. Containing over 7,000 islands the dramatic and ever growing impact of climate change is palpable and only increasing in strength and unpredictability. In fact, in the last three months there have been three typhoons, two earthquakes, and most recently (Jan. 12th) the devastating eruption of Taal Volcano in the Philippines. While none of our partner farmers were directly impacted by these recent calamities they have been before and it is essential that they continue to be prepared to face these realities. Our programming and capacity building ensures their on-going preparedness and ability to “See Beautiful” and remain resilient amidst the ever changing climate realities of  their country.

At Global Seed Savers (GSS) we believe the work and models being developed in the Philippines are of the utmost importance. When it comes to climate change and the power of resilient seed propagation, the Philippines can be considered as the proverbial “canary in the coal mine”. The ability to impact the agricultural system where global agribusiness has a strong foothold and climate change continues to create larger and more catastrophic natural disasters is paramount.

GSS is innovative in our audacity to stand up to the industrial agriculture system through empowering smallholder farmers in the Philippines to return to the indigenous practice of growing and saving their own seeds. Providing smallholder farmers with the tools and support needed to relinquish any dependence on large bio-chemical agricultural companies restores sovereignty over their food supply and improves quality of life.  Since 2015, we have trained over 5,000 farmers in Seed Saving, helped directly establish 2 seed libraries and influenced the creation of two others that are locally led, and are building a nationwide movement across the Philippines to restore food and seed sovereignty.

We focus on sovereignty... not simply food security... because we believe that sovereignty prioritizes farmers rights and voice in making choices about what, when, and how they produce and, to whom they sell these crops. The term food sovereignty was coined by La Via Campesina in 1996, defined as: “ The right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.”

If food security is about the consumer, food sovereignty puts the focus on the importance of the producers and insists on their democratic rights in decision making. Small-holder farmers produce 70% of the food consumed worldwide on only 25% of the arable land. Food sovereignty also recognizes food as a right and a public good, not as a commodity, and food production is about relationships between community and with nature, not trade and commerce.

This concept of sovereignty guides all we do at Global Seed Savers and is a driving force for us wanting to ensure our field staff and farmers are equipped with the proper disaster preparedness and first aid training needed to respond to the next natural disaster. Access to locally adapted, locally produced seeds provide one critical layer of resilience but rural farmers also need access to proper training so they know how to respond in the field to the next disaster, because sadly it is not a matter of if...but when the next will hit!

The majority of our partner farmers live in rural communities and are the ones most impacted when calamities occur. Our model helps up-lift Filipino Farmers and ensures that their voices are heard and the ones driving the direction of their community. While farmers are, in our opinion, some of the most important people in the community (they produce sustenance) they are often the ones left with the least voice. Through our Teacher Training Program, farmers gain the skills and confidence they need to teach their peers about the importance of saving seeds. Many of our farmers have not even graduated high school, but through our program they are learning their value and able to share these lessons with a wide diversity of people.

GSS is helping farmers rise to an equitable place in society by becoming the leaders of their communities. Through  producing food and seed and by sharing these lessons with their community. The ability to equip farmers with proper climate resilience training will only continue to embolden their critical role and confidence as rural community leaders.

To learn more about Global Seed Savers and join our movement please visit us at: www.globalseedsavers.org

Submitted by: Sherry Manning

Founder and Executive Director Global Seed Savers