There are so many reasons to save seeds it’s hard to list them all. But the main reasons are that 1) commercial seeds may not grow well in our soils and climate, especially as the climate changes, 2) diversity in plants available for food production is decreasing markedly, 3) multi-national agribusinesses have bought out most of the large seed companies in the United States and Canada, 4) except for organic varieties, pesticides are used extensively in growing seed crops for market, 5) commercial seeds must be shipped in from long distances, and 6) it’s not very interesting just to buy seeds from catalogs, not to mention the expense. If we all start saving seeds we can:
1. Have seeds adapted to our climate. You have probably bought commercial seeds and found they didn’t grow very well, in spite of lots of water, nutrients, and TLC. Yet, you may have observed that when seeds escaped your notice and fell on the ground, they grew beautifully the next year as “volunteers.” This is because each seed contains genetic variability. The ones most suited to their growing conditions will germinate and thrive, while those less suited will not. If you were to purposely save seeds and grow them every year, you would have selected the type happiest in your growing conditions. The result is a “landrace” – a variety developed by natural processes rather than selective breeding. This will be increasingly important as the climate changes.
2. Have a diverse collection of seeds in case of ecological and human-caused disasters. Most experts agree that we must preserve biodiversity in food varieties. The number of commercially available varieties is decreasing. A main reason for this is the world-wide tendency in agriculture toward ecological and genetic uniformity of commercial crops. To be able to adapt to threats to human populations, we must have many types of non-hybrid seeds so that new varieties can be developed. Most offerings in seed company catalogs are hybrids, that is, from plants whose flowers have been pollinated by another variety. These seeds generally shouldn’t be saved because new plants from these are likely to be inferior to the hybrid one. Big seed companies like to sell hybrids, since farmers and gardeners have to buy them every year.
3. Don’t contribute to multinational business profits. In 2005, Monsanto bought out a large fruit and vegetable seed company called Seminis. This company had dozens of seed companies under it, and with this purchase, Monsanto has become the world’s largest seed producer. Even if a Canadian seed company is not under the Seminis (Monsanto) umbrella, many of the larger retail seed companies buy seed for resale from them. Seminis has now opened a new facility in Ontario to supply greenhouse growers. Seemingly, Monsanto’s motive for buying this company, in spite of its debts, was that they are aware of the growing needs of consumers to eat healthier food. But selling vegetable seeds, even organic ones, is unlikely to be enough to boost profits for Monsanto. There is speculation that it intends to use biotechnology to produce seeds for food, and in fact they have already developed a genetically modified lettuce variety for commercial farms. Unfortunately, with profit the only motivation, varieties that don’t sell well will disappear.
4. Have organically grown seeds. Any grower who intends to become certified organic must use organically produced seeds. Even if you don’t intend to be certified, organic growers need to save their own seeds for replanting. Conventional production of seed crops requires copious amounts of pesticides and fertilizer, because the crop has to stay in the field longer. Otherwise plant diseases and pests could damage the crop during this time, reducing yield.
5. Use less fossil fuel. Although the cost of shipping seeds and other plant products wouldn’t use much fuel compared with shipping other commodities, we believe that locally grown seeds are part of having local food. Conventional farming, including growing plants for seeds, uses fuel to manage and harvest the crop; natural gas is the basis for nitrogen in commercial fertilizers.
6. Saving seed can save you a lot of money and is very rewarding. The price of commercial seed in bags or packets seems to increase every year, and the number of seeds in them decreases. As well, you don’t know how long these have been in storage at the distribution centre or your local retailer. It is very frustrating when seeds don’t germinate because they are too old. If you grow your own, you will know exactly how old they are. Growing food from seeds that have been passed down from generations – your own or others – is very rewarding. You know you are contributing to the gardening future of new generations as well as helping to save heirloom varieties. When you hold seeds in your hands that you have grown yourself, you are holding a bit of history. And, when those seeds come up in your garden, you will have completed a circle of life.
RESOURCES
http://www.seedalliance.org/Seed_News/SeminisMonsanto/
http://www.primalseeds.org/whysaveseed.htm
http://howtosaveseeds.com/whysave.php
Ashworth, Suzanne. 2002. Seed to Seed, 2nd Edition. Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah, Iowa, USA.
Turner, Carole B. 1998. Seed Sowing and Saving. Storey Communications, Inc. Pownal, Vermont, USA.
Submitted by Patricia Huet
