Indigenous Seed Sovereignty: Collaboratively Building Seed Systems With Midwestern Native Communities

Commodities

Practices

Today, many Native communities are rejuvenating Indigenous
agricultural practices, but often have insufficient resources to
accomplish their goals. One pressing issue is access to rare and
culturally appropriate seeds and resources to grow them. Thus
there is a critical need for knowledge on varietal
selection, production, storage, and distribution. In
consultation, Native producers expressed their interest in
developing culturally appropriate seed conservation systems. To
address these issues, our project, Indigenous Seed
Sovereignty: Collaboratively Building Seed Systems With
Midwestern Native Communities, is designed with an
overall objective to further cultural and agronomic
practices surrounding the conservation of Indigenous seed in
collaboration with Native communities and colleges in Nebraska.
Our rationale is that by working collaboratively
with Native growers and educators to document each community’s
needs around seed sovereignty, we will develop culturally
appropriate, sustainable Indigenous seed systems. 

Our specific objectives are:

1) Determine cultural definitions of seed
sovereignty through participatory methods that identify crop
varieties and historic seed conservation and sharing methods. We
begin with visioning sessions in the Ponca, Santee, Winnebago,
Omaha, and Indigenous Mayan communities of Nebraska, to develop
each community’s vision for seed sovereignty and steps to attain
their goals. Historical records will also be accessed and
analyzed.

2) Build capacity in Indigenous varietal selection so
communities can maintain culturally appropriate quality seed
internally. By collaborating with small farmers in communities,
this project will find Indigenous seeds held in institutional
repositories, select for rematriation, grow these seeds in
community, and select and save seeds using collaboratively
designed Indigenous methods. Participatory processes will be used
to design and conduct workshops on seed growing, selection, and
saving practices. 

3) Build seed sharing networks between Native growers,
university researchers, and tribal colleges that
collaboratively design workshops and educational materials to
support seed sovereignty within communities. Demonstration
plots, workshops, facilitated conversations, and harvest
activities will provide a forum for shaping these networks within
communities. Exchanges between communities will provide a forum
for sharing processes, seed knowledge, and for expanding the
network. 

The Indigenous Seed Sovereignty project has
relevance for Indigenous growers and communities because
it will encourage collaboration to produce healthy, culturally
appropriate food for Native American communities while creating a
living classroom for cultural, historical, and scientific
knowledge.

Learning outcomes include gaining a deeper knowledge of
seed selection and growing practices. Action outcomes
include improved seed conservation practices and networks
generated for sharing seed.

Objectives:

1) Determine cultural definitions
of seed sovereignty, cultural understandings of crop varieties,
and historic seed conservation methods.

2) Uncover varieties held in seed
banks, build capacity in varietal selection and maintenance of
culturally appropriate quality seed, and grow varieties in
community designed demonstration trials.

3) Build networks between growers
in Native communities, university researchers, and tribal
colleges to collaboratively design workshops on seed selection,
seed conservation, and seed sovereignty.

       
  Action outcomes: Indigenous seed
rematriated and in production.

       
 Learning outcomes: Skills in seed
selection and conservation techniques developed and
shared. Increased
knowledge of culturally sensitive seed production, saving, and
distribution