tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5675961259717563037.post4064308818669775657..comments2023-06-03T22:17:56.624+10:00Comments on homage to the seed weblog . . .: followers are also leaders....Sophie Munnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797068983613314554noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5675961259717563037.post-82750493851446901492010-08-19T09:41:09.236+10:002010-08-19T09:41:09.236+10:00Hi Nicola,
Good to hear from you.
I urge you to re...Hi Nicola,<br />Good to hear from you.<br />I urge you to read about the Russian Seed Bank. If you go to the Civil Eats "read more here" the article makes the point that unlike the Norwegian Seed Vault, MSB etc this Experimental Station 19 kms from the city is a "Field" seed bank - where all the seeds are regularly planted and saved. Currently tens of thousands of seeds are in the ground and scientists have argued it would take years for this to be moved without losing varieties.The reason for planned closure of this critical venture...housing development.It has come to the worlds attention and there is a global campaign to avoid the closure. Excellent links tell more!.<br /><br />The fight to maintain our seed heritage is hugely complex because of global warming- the need to have a certain stable climate to ensure species survive and so on. Research is critical to better undertstand this. Botanical Gardens, Zoos etc may have started, in part, as colossal vanities for the housing of colonial exploits. However many have no doubt been transformed into serious research centres focusing on highly critical issues.<br /><br />I think this story from Russia underlines the vulnerability of maintaining long term projects like this active kind of seed bank you speak of.. the whim of a govt or other bodies can irrevocably alter the future of such a venture. The fact it survived 900 days of Nazi occupation of Leningrad back in the early 1940's reminds us of the vulnerability of such programs.<br /><br />Also having seen first hand the reality of attracting ongoing funding to Qld's Seed bank project with the MSB my question would be where would funds come from to manage the much more complex model of seed saving like this Russian model. What woudl it take for it to be identified as essential? Its become an intense political emergency in some places to have the right to save seeds... the poorest countries on the planet are dealing with this right now.<br /><br />The MSB and Norwegian models for seed banking may strike many as highly problematic. What I have noticed though they are the one thing that has reached broader public consciousness of the critical problem with our planet's seed heritage.<br /><br />Imagine if people of vision had chanelled their funds away from, say, purchase of a $200 million dollar Picasso painting for example and instead into setting up a foundation for a version of the Russian model! Many appear to direct their wealth to personal vanities and statements that run counter to what would benefit the planet or its population in any way. <br /><br />Replicating the individual venture of saving seeds in our back yard to national and global models... now that would be something! Thanks for prompting this dailogue Nicola... we need vastly more community dialogue on this!!!<br />Sophiesophie munnshttp://sophiemunns.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5675961259717563037.post-6577169457116279302010-08-19T08:33:25.454+10:002010-08-19T08:33:25.454+10:00Hi Sophie,
Thanks for this fabulous post. The arti...Hi Sophie,<br />Thanks for this fabulous post. The artist as family is a wonderful blog, full of inspiration, thanks for the link.<br /><br />I have mixed feelings about seed banks, I see them as being a bit like zoos perhaps, a necessary evil? I feel seed would be much better perpetuated in the ground, grown each year, fresh seed collected each year and then sown again. Rather than only having varieties kept in jars for millenia. I understand this may be the only way to keep the heritage of diversity, but it's a shame we can't do that in a living cycle.Nicola Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09506144570765694814noreply@blogger.com