Hey all--
Today on the farm we talked briefly about seed banks or libraries, and the largest one in the world in Norway. I heard this story on NPR the other day and thought it was very intriguing, but learning about genetics and seeds and biodiversity on Amy's farm really made the two facets come into focus.
Here is the full Cary Fowler TED talk that was featured on NPR.
-Hannah
This is a great talk! I think that the work being done at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is vitally important. I want to add, though, that I think that it is equally important that we revitalize our relationships with our food plants at a local level and that includes reclaiming plant breeding and seed saving skills. There is no reason for us to relinquish these activities to "experts" and there is much to be gained in having a diversity of people growing out a diversity of food crops! One initiative that's gaining traction across the country is "seed library" programs, through which library patrons can "check out" packets of seeds with which to start their own plants. Once the plants have produced fruit, patrons harvest the seeds and return these to the library for others to use. Here's and NPR story on a Colorado library with such a program: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/02/170846948/how-to-save-a-public-library-make-it-a-seed-bank.
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