Irish Seed Savers Association aim to save Irish seeds

Communities across Ireland are being encouraged to grow and save their own seed together in a major new programme being launched by the Irish Seed Savers Association (www.irishseedsavers.ie).

The Community Seed Guardians Programme is a training and mentoring programme for communities across Ireland to grow and save their own food seed. The programme was developed with funding received through Rethink Ireland’s Innovate Together programme, which was established in response to Covid-19 to build resilience in communities.

With growing awareness of climate change and fear of limitations in our food supply which were highlighted during the COVID-19 crisis, the Community Seed Guardian Programme will work with established community gardening groups to reduce Ireland’s reliance on imported food and food seed.

Training community growing groups to grow and save their own food seed will increase access to seed availability and create greater community engagement with the full food supply from seed to plate.

“We are excited to be given this support by Rethink Ireland, bringing the experience we have built over 30 years to the wider community across the island,” said Jennifer McConnell, General Manager, of Irish Seed Savers. “The growing demand for seed has been evident this year as more people take a greater interest in taking control in their food supply, as well as doing more to reduce food miles, in an effort to contribute to climate action.

Covid-19 and Brexit has also raised awareness about the threat to our food seed supply, so we are delighted to share our skills with communities, to help them build their own seed supply for long-term food resilience.”

Irish Seed Savers will provide ten community gardens training and mentoring in seed growing and seed saving with experienced facilitators, learning the steps to enhance seed supply for community gardeners around the island of Ireland, without having to rely on food seed imports to grow their own food.

This is a 2-year programme and will require a commitment of 6 days training, the total value of which will be over €1,000 per group as well as mentoring, seeds, and ongoing support. Further details on how to apply are available at www.irishseedsavers.ie/blog. Closing date for applications is January 18th, 2021.

About Irish Seed Savers Association

Irish Seed Savers Association CLG has been in operation since 1991. Originating from an ambitious effort to create a central store of food crop seeds and fruit trees where none had previously existed, our work to date has been to research and protect rare, heritage, and naturalised open-pollinated food crop seeds and fruit trees on our 20-acre farm in County Clare.

Curating the country’s public seed bank of 600 varieties of heritage seed and the country’s 180 varieties of heritage apple trees, our work has expanded over the years to include an education and outreach remit to not only connect more people to our work but also to ensure the protection of these collections for the encouraging more people to grow open-pollinated seeds for their food supply.

Our main aim for our collections are preservation (find), conservation (keep-alive through growing), and utilisation (sharing) for the continuation of these heritage food sources for now and future generations.
Irish Seed Savers is a registered charity (number 20045029) and a non-profit social enterprise.

About the Innovate Together Fund

The Government of Ireland, through the Department of Rural and Community Development (via the Dormant Accounts Fund), committed €5M to the Innovate Together Fund as part of a €40M support package to the community and voluntary sector in May.

Rethink Ireland has since received additional donations from the Z Zurich Foundation, Medtronic, Twitter, and Oakfield Trust. The Fund supports charities’ innovative responses to the COVID-19 crisis that will also provide lasting change.

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