Over the past few months I've been tracking what's happening in the world of seeds through Twitter... gradually finding more and more sites that add to the dialogue.
Stories from Kew Gardens, the Eden Project and numerous other large ventures with strong public interaction, smaller ventures all over the globe and news feeds from Eco Guardian, Huffington Post and similar are excellent sources of information. At this post I offer a variety of stories and links for you to follow up on. A business venture based in Calgary, Canada is a smallish venture with a large focus that I frequently find diverse seed news through.
seed living community- click here. |
At that link above you can read snippets like this;
How to Plant in a Bag
2011-01-06 Our Vegetable Patch - Brewster
We have friends who live in apartments and they really miss growingtheir own salad gardens. We buy bags of Potting Soil and cut the bag open long ways and also across the middle. Turn back the corners and water the soil. You are now ready to plant your seeds. We place our bags on the ground but it will work O.K. if you put on your patio floor. Some compost may need to be added if your bag is showing a lot of growth. There is nothing like eating our own Organic and Heirloom food.
back to news
Seed Living is based in Calgary, Canada .... and have an online community and blog, plus offer online permaculture courses.
They are constantly linking to important stories on seeds at twitter... and have promptly responded when I've sent a couple of questions via twitter.
This morning I noticed this excellent story from eHow- money they retweeted:
How to Start a Seed Business
As modern agriculture has trended toward mass production of a limited number of crops, it has become more important than ever for individuals to save and exchange less common varieties of seeds. The genetic diversity contained the countless varieties of available seed stocks provide us with a wealth of plants with culinary and medicinal value. This variety safeguards us against narrowly adapted plant pathogens that could easily wipe out an entire food supply, as in the case of the Irish potato blight during the 19th century. Starting a seed business is one way to help preserve the invaluable resource of seed stocks that has the potential to keep us safe and healthy and greatly improve the way we eat.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Challenging
Instructions
things you'll need:
- Seed stocks
- Web site
- Seed catalog
- 1Decide on a focus for your seed business, such as culinary or medicinal herbs, or organic fruits or vegetables. Research existing seed companies looking for an open niche you can fill or a specialty that is underrepresented.
- 2Start building a seed bank with seed stocks consistent with the focus you have chosen for your business. Buy and exchange seeds with fellow seed savers, and grow plants and harvest their seeds to begin building your inventory.
- 3Design packaging for your seeds. Include information about the appearance, flavor and uses of the different plants, as well as instructions for planting and harvesting them, including the best temperature and season, seed spacing recommendations and ideal seed planting depth.
- 4Design a website and a catalog for your seed business. Include information about your company's focus. Tell a story about why you decided to start a seed company and what you uniquely offer. Prepare descriptions and pictures of the plants that customers can grow from each of the seed varieties you offer. Include a paper order form in your print catalog and a secure online ordering form on your website.
- 5Market your seed business at events targeted to gardeners, such as gardening shows and plant sales. Open wholesale accounts with gardening stores and natural foods stores. Place online advertisements on gardening blogs, and start a blog of your own to attract potential customers to your seed selling site.
- 1
References
Read more: How to Start a Seed Business | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5855254_start-seed-business.html#ixzz1HrHgoBlO
Seed Living also linked this one on Monsanto from Corporate Watch:
MONSANTO
A Corporate Profilewww.monsanto.com
Influence/ Lobbying
Monsanto have aggressively promoted their products through PR campaigns, industry lobby groups, funding academic research and directly influencing government policy. A recent Monsanto internal document leaked to GeneWatch UK revealed Monsanto’s global strategy to promote GM foods. They are actively influencing which experts get on to international scientific committees and are promoting their views through supposedly independent scientists. The report suggests that they have virtually given up trying to influence the debate on GM foods in the UK and are stepping up their activity in developing countries [31].Lobbying Groups
Monsanto is a member of several UK and European industry lobby groups, including:Crop Protection Association (formerly the British Agrochemicals Association): an agrochemical and biotech trade association, one of the organisations that make up SCIMAC, the industry body established in June 1998 to support the "responsible and effective introduction of GM crops in the UK". This includes running GM farm scale trials in conjunction with the Department of the Environment Transport and Regions (DETR). (www.baa.org.uk/Default.asp), (www.ukasta.org.uk/news/scimac/)Europabio (European Association for Bioindustries): A European pro biotech lobby group which encourages the EU and national governments to develop policies that are supportive of biotechnology (www.europabio.org/)Influencing research and education
PBI/Monsanto employee Dr R Stratford sits on the Plant and Microbial Sciences Committee of the BBSRC (British Biotechnology Science Research Council) and Monsanto employee Dr K Hammond-Kossack sits on the Network Group of the BBSRC. The BBSRC administer funding for biotech research in British Universities [32].In April 2001 140,000 copies of a pro-biotechnology booklet ‘Your World-Biotechnology and You’ were distributed in Scottish schools. The leaflet was produced by the US Biotechnology Institute who are part funded by Monsanto [33].Links with government
There is a well documented ‘revolving door’ between Monsanto employees and officials from US Government regulatory bodies (particularly the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This has effectively enabled Monsanto to bypass the regulatory process and get marketing consent in the US for their GM and other products with minimal safety checks [34]. US influence has made it much harder for other counties to implement more rigorous regulatory standards. Monsanto have also had direct influence within the Clinton administration and continue to have with the Bush administration [35]. Monsanto employee Linda Fisher was nominated by Bush in May 2001 for a key position in the US Environmental Protection Agency [36]. Monsanto have used their close links with the US government to influence policy decisions in the UK, Europe and the EU. The revolving door between Monsanto and the UK government is less easy to demonstrate, however, there are several links between prominent advisors to the Labour government, Bell Pottinger Good Relations (a PR company employed by Monsanto) and Monsanto [37].PR Companies
Monsanto have used several prominent public relations companies in an all out media assault to achieve public acceptance of their GM products. These companies include the infamous Burson Marsteller [38], Global Access Limited, Bivell Woodings Ltd, Bell Pottinger Good Relations UK, Focus Communications and Bartle Bogel Hegarty (UK). Monsanto’s UK greenwash campaign organised by Bartle Bogel Hegarty in 1998 backfired spectacularly. Monsanto were accused of being arrogant and spreading misinformation. After a barrage of complaints an enquiry by the Advertising Standards Agency found that Monsanto adverts had been wrong and misleading on 6 of the 13 counts filed against them [39].
References
[31] For the full text of this report go to www.genewatch.org/Press%20Releases/pr15.htm
[32] www.bbsrc.ac.uk/about/annrep/committees.html
[33] www.corporatewatch.org.uk/news/around_the_web2.html
[34] see www.groundup.org/monsanto/door.htm and Feeding the Hungry Transnationals
[35] see Feeding the Hungry Transnationals
[36] www.connectotel.com/gmfood/re020501.txt
[37] see chapter 3 in ‘Of Cabbages and Kings: A Cartoon Book on Genetic Engineering’ produced by A SEED Europe
[38] look at www.corporatewatch.org.uk/magazine/issue2/cw2f2.html andwww.corporatewatch.org.uk/news/leeds_uni_bursonmarsteller.htmlfor more information
[39] www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3829135,00.html
Before I toddle off I wish to add a link to a great local organisation here:
Michel and Jude Fanton |
We have fantastic resources in the region around Brisbane, Qld where I live in Australia... organisations like Seedsavers: Preserving the genetic basis of tomorrow's food are on twitter and have many publications, video and film clips at youtube you can watch. Started over 25 years ago Michel and Jude Fanton:
The Seed Savers' Network is a national organisation dedicated since 1986 to the preservation of local varieties of useful plants. We work in Australia with our more than eighty Local Seed Networks. We also work in other countries, forty so far. See About Us where you will find an overview of our activities, the countries in which we have worked, our story so farwith archives of our work and how you can get involved.
Founders, Jude and Michel Fanton, have authored and published three books, "The Seed Savers' Handbook", "Local Seed Network Manual" and "Seed to Seed Food Gardens in Schools" and produced a one hour documentary, "Our Seeds" -purchase our publications or film. Our new documentary "Our Roots" that we filmed in Vanuatu for CIRAD the French research institute will be out soon. Please use the resources we offer at no cost to you and without sponsored links.
The first six months of 2011 is exciting for The Seed Savers' Network. We gave presentations at the Rare Fruit Society of SA in Adelaide in January, and will give workshops in Tasmania in April and north Queensland in June.
Text from Seed savers website.
image: Herald Sun |
Important Australian + other Links below from a great blog gvseedsavers.
2 comments:
Wow, thank you for all of this. I too, love to draw seeds, scatter seeds and plant them in my garden... I will check out your links! roxanne
Im delighted to share the links Roxanne!
Love to see your seed works!
Sophie
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