Seed saving is one of the most powerful skills anyone can practice
Join Us
As the number of seed stewards increases, so does the security of our seed and food supplies. Sign up for our quarterly newsletter for updates on upcoming events, and visit our library of publications to build your seed growing and plant breeding skills. You may also be eligible to participate in our national Seed Internship Program.
We Need You
Over the last century the decrease in seed diversity has been coupled with a concurrent loss in knowledge and skills necessary to keep this diversity alive and growing. Farmers and gardeners once operated as the primary seed stewards around the globe, but now rarely participate in plant breeding and seed conservation. But that’s changing, for the good.
Grow Seed
OSA teaches seed saving in a variety of forms, from basic backyard skills to farm-scale organic seed production. We also teach farmers how to conduct organic plant breeding in their own fields, empowering them to adapt their crops to changing climates, environmental conditions, and market needs. In this way farmers maintain control over their seed, and are actively conserving and improving global crop diversity. Many of these farmers also help fill gaps in the organic seed supply at a time when demand is outpacing what the market offers.
OSA’s educational efforts focus on field-based learning in the context of organic farming practices. We teach courses around the US and host the largest organic seed conference in North America. We also help lead the Seed Internship Program, a national project that connects organic seed farms with interns who want to grow seed.
Please join us! Again, as the number of seed stewards increases, so does the security of our seed and food supplies. Sign up for our quarterly newsletter for updates on upcoming events, and visit our library of publications to build your seed growing and breeding skills.
“I often think that OSA’s given us a free Master’s degree — a lot of advanced level information on seed growing, production, and breeding that we couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.”
– Marko Colby and Hanako Myers, Midori Farm, Quilcene, WA
