Sharing Our Way - SOW Seeds Conference and Guidebook

View the project report

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: seed saving
• Education and Training: technical assistance, workshop, Booklet
• Sustainable Communities: food access and security, Indigenous/ Native American communities

Native Seeds/SEARCH is requesting funds to co-host a two-day conference with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) on seed stewardship in Indigenous communities. We will invite Southern Arizona Indigenous agricultural professionals and leaders to the conference to learn about seed collection management, farming with traditional seed varieties, and traditional food enterprises. The conference will include presentations by Indigenous farmers and food producers who steward seeds, practice traditional farming, and/or have created successful models of food businesses centered on traditional foods. This workshop will empower Indigenous agricultural professionals to act as conduits of knowledge and resources within their communities, offering technical assistance on seed saving while motivating and supporting the transition to traditional crop production. By strengthening these connections and facilitating these conversations, we aim to foster resilient, culturally rich, and sustainable food systems in Indigenous communities.

As part of our endeavor, NS/S, in collaboration with SRPMIC, will create an educational guidebook with the assistance of hired contractors. While our previous publications emphasized seed saving, this guidebook will specifically address establishing and managing seed banks, with a focus on tribal and community-serving organizations. This guidebook is being envisioned and outlined in collaboration with representatives from SRPMIC, our board, and other stakeholders who have expressed a need for this resource. The guidebook will include regional seed bank case studies and seed saving efforts, technical information on seed banking topics (cost, maintenance, energy sources, infrastructure, moisture/humidity, temperature control, building materials, and recordkeeping), and details on seed distribution methods and policies.

Objective 1: Knowledge Enhancement

Enhance the knowledge of up to 60 participants, including Indigenous agricultural professionals, farm managers, and tribal government leaders in southern Arizona, regarding traditional farming practices, culturally-significant and regionally-adapted seeds, and seed banking and distribution. Progress towards this objective will be measured through post-conference surveys and assessments, evaluating participants' understanding and application of the acquired knowledge.

Objective 2: Awareness Building

Increase awareness among southern Arizona Indigenous agriculturalists about the NS/S seed collection, access procedures for NS/S seeds, and other technical resources provided by the organization. Measurement of progress will rely on pre-and post-awareness surveys, assessing the extent of awareness growth among the target audience.

Objective 3: Promotion and Network Growth

Promote the cultivation of arid-adapted and traditional crops while expanding our network of partnerships with southern Arizona Indigenous agricultural professionals and farmers. NS/S will provide agronomic support and facilitate the distribution of traditional seeds within and beyond individual communities. Progress will be measured by counting new partner farmers and seed access recipients who were introduced to NS/S through the conference or conference participants.

Objective 4: Capacity Building

Strengthen the capacity of other organizations and institutions to save, store, and share seeds for their respective communities. We will achieve this objective through the development of the “Community Seed Banking and Distribution Guidebook”. This guidebook will be shared with conference participants and with our community-based partners regionally. We currently send seeds to over 125 school gardens, tribal serving farms, and food access initiatives, many of whom are eager to enhance their seed banking competencies.