Sharing Our Way - SOW Seeds Conference and Guidebook

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: seed saving
• Education and Training: technical assistance, workshop, Booklet
• Sustainable Communities: 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.