Seed Saving Farmer Training

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: seed saving
• Education and Training: workshop
• Farm Business Management: value added, whole farm planning
• Production Systems: organic agriculture, permaculture
• Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems

Locally saved and distributed seeds are the missing link in many sustainable agriculture systems.
Traditional seed saving practices build up regional adaptations in crop varieties that reduce the
need for toxic pesticides and support low-input, sustainable farming operations. According to the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, promoting seed saving among farmers
offers great benefits to increase food security, environmental health, and economic viability in
agricultural regions.
Since its founding in 2014, the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance (RMSA) has been working with
farmers in Mountain West communities to develop regionally adapted seed systems that support
sustainable agriculture. The proposed project will train agricultural professionals to become
educators for farmers in their regional areas, teaching crop producers how to integrate seed
saving into their growing and business models. This project builds on RMSA’s successful Seed
School educational programs which have made a significant impact on spreading seed
knowledge and skills among farmers and gardeners. Project activities include: developing a
targeted curriculum for ag professionals (Seed Teachers) to educate farmers in creating seed
enterprises, including on-farm seed saving, marketing and distribution; creating a separate
curriculum for trained ag professionals to utilize in teaching farmers; and supporting a pilot
series of 2 – 3 two-day Seed School for Farmers workshops conducted by Seed Teachers in their
regional communities.
This project will directly increase seed saving knowledge, skills, and action to support
sustainable agriculture efforts among Rocky Mountain farmers. By building this educational
capacity among ag professionals, the proposed project will contribute to healthier environments,
more profitable enterprises, and a higher quality of life for regional farmers and their
communities.

We will accomplish the following objectives with this project:
1. Develop teacher training educational curriculum for integration of seed saving practices
into farming and business models for small farmer/producers
2. Train up to 30 agricultural professionals as educators for farmers in integrated seed
saving practices (“Seed School Teacher Training for Farmers” (SSTTF))
3. Create curriculum and associated educational materials for two-day Seed School for
Farmers (SSF) workshop that newly trained agricultural professionals (“Seed Teachers”)
can utilize in educating local farmers
4. Offer administrative and technical support for a pilot series of 2 – 3 Seed School for
Farmers (two-day) workshops conducted by Seed Teachers in their regional communities
The project objectives will be achieved over a period of one year during the grant period (April
2018 to March 2019). Curricula development will take place from May to September of 2018.
Agricultural professionals will be trained in a six-day workshop held in October of 2018.
Further, support for the pilot series of Seed School for Farmers workshops will be provided from
October of 2018 to March of 2019.