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Weaving visions: a call to organic seed growers
USA In the seed community, some individuals shine with a particular brilliance. Vivien Sansour is one such person – a storyteller, artist, and seed guardian whose work transcends traditional boundaries of research, activism, and cultural preservation. As Organic Seed Alliance prepares for its 2025 Organic Seed Growers Conference, we are honored to welcome Vivien back as a keynote speaker, returning to continue the critical conversations she shared with conference goers back in 2020 and 2022. Sansour’s work recognizes that seeds are far more than germplasm. Central to her journey is the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, a project she founded in 2014 that is rooted in the Fertile Crescent’s agricultural heritage. The library seeks to preserve Palestinian seed varieties as living archives of resistance, cultural identity, and survival. Through this work, Sansour, along with farmers in Palestine and around the world, challenge the forces of agricultural colonization and biodiversity loss. Complementary to the library, The Traveling Kitchen brings a mobile cooking setup to sidewalks, plazas, and community spaces, engaging audiences in discussions about bio-cultural heritage, agrobiodiversity, and the coevolutionary practices of agriculture and cuisine. Together, these projects seek to preserve and promote heritage and threatened seed varieties, traditional Palestinian farming practices, and the cultural stories and identities associated with them. Vivien’s 2022 keynote at our conference was an opportunity to both grieve and be inspired. She guided listeners through narratives of agricultural resilience that were at once personal and universal. Her words touched on themes of Indigenous knowledge, survival, and the profound interconnectedness of human and plant communities. Speaking to the importance of seed stories and what they can teach us about ourselves, Vivien shared, “The more we know who we are, the more we can [actually] collaborate and co-create together in a harmonious way.” We invite you to reflect on this statement, and revisit Vivien’s 2022 keynote below. Conference Context Our upcoming conference, themed “Weaving Visions of Organic Seed Communities,” embraces this collaborative spirit that honors the power of co-creating knowledge across different experiences and traditions. Scheduled for February 26th through March 1st, 2025, the event will bring together seed growers, researchers, activists, and advocates from across the United States and beyond. We’ll gather both in-person in Corvallis, Oregon, and online. The program is designed to cater to a wide variety of seed enthusiasts. Expect:
Why This Matters Now We’re living through a critical moment in agricultural history. Climate change, corporate consolidation of seed systems, and rapid environmental shifts threaten both agricultural biodiversity and the communities that maintain it. The work of seed saving is an act of cultural and ecological preservation that we need now more than ever. Vivien Sansour represents a generation of seed stewards who understand this complexity. Her international work – showcased in venues from the Chicago Architecture Biennale to the Victoria and Albert Museum – demonstrates how seed work is simultaneously local and global, traditional and revolutionary. In addition to Sansour, we have now announced over 70 speakers (with more to come!) who will be presenting at the conference. Visit our conference program page for more info. An Invitation We invite you to be part of this crucial conversation. Whether you’re an experienced seed grower, a researcher, an activist, or simply curious about the future of sustainable agriculture, there’s a place for you at this event. RSVP and Registration We’d love it if you could share our event pages, invite colleagues, and amplify these conversations. Together, we’ll continue weaving visions of vibrant, resilient seed communities.
More news from: Organic Seed Alliance Website: http://www.seedalliance.org Published: December 23, 2024 |
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