Organic Seed Alliance invites you to help shape the 10th Organic Seed Growers Conference by submitting a proposal for the agenda. This is your opportunity to share important research and ask timely questions about organic seed. The call for proposals will be open through July 28, 2019.
The Organic Seed Growers Conference is the largest organic seed event in the U.S. and provides a two-day agenda of presentations, panel discussions, roundtables, scientific posters, variety tastings, networking events, and community celebration.
Mark your calendar to join us in Corvallis, Oregon, February 12–15, 2020, to celebrate 20 years of the Organic Seed Growers Conference and envision the future of the organic seed movement. Where have we been, where do we want to go, and how can we get there?
We are particularly interested in proposals that include farmers and underrepresented groups. While we welcome a diversity of proposals, those that fit the following categories are encouraged:
Proposals that include:
- Farmer presenter or included on panel
- Racial diversity among presenters or panelists
- Presenters from different backgrounds/approaches within the presenter panel
- Seed ethics and policy
- Opportunities for audience interaction
Topics reflecting the theme of celebrating 20 years of the Organic Seed Growers Conference and envisioning the future of the organic seed movement:
- Significant historical moments in the organic seed movement
- Seed ethics and policy
- Building equity and diversity in the organic seed community
- Topics that reflect ongoing conference priorities:
- Advancements in organic plant breeding
- Breeding for resiliency and biodiversity, including to mitigate the impacts of climate change
- Farmer-led breeding projects
- New models for organic seed production, quality assurance, enterprise development, and commercializing new varieties (e.g., alternative approaches to intellectual property)
- Economics of seed production
- Timely policy and advocacy topics that are essential to expanding organic seed systems and that are in need of more clarity, strategy, and discussion
Deadline
Full proposals and scientific research proposals must be submitted by July 28, 2019.
Selection process
Proposals are evaluated and chosen by a committee of over 45 reviewers with diverse, national representation from the organic seed community. The agenda is also informed by input received from past conferences. In some cases similar or related proposals may be combined.
Scientific Research Posters
We also welcome proposals for the scientific research poster session. The poster session will be on display throughout the main conference – Friday and Saturday. Each poster presenter will also give a 4-minute introduction of their research to the full conference audience.
Synergy Space
The Synergy Space is a place at the conference for sharing and discussing dynamic ideas that aren’t included in the agenda. The space is self-organized by conference participants and do not have an assigned moderator or notetaker. This is a good space to connect with other seed people from your region, share innovative ideas with other participants, and continue conversations sparked by a talk you’ve just heard. Details on signing up to lead a discussion will be available when registration opens in autumn 2019.
Conference location
The conference venue is located on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon. Registration opens in the autumn of 2019.
Questions?
Please contact Cathleen McCluskey at cathleen@seedalliance.org with any questions about the conference.
