Welcome to Seed Sovereignty Mini-School!

The content of this event is geared towards Indigenous growers, land stewards and community members, who are invited to access this webinar free of charge! Please use the coupon code SDSCH2 at registration to receive free admission. 

All are welcome to attend this two-session webinar series.

Session #2: Cross-Generational Seed Stewardship – Bridging the Past, Present, and Future

This intermediate session with Tiffany Traverse will include more discussion, with opportunities to collectively talk through common barriers to Indigenous food sovereignty. 

In this thought-provoking session, we’ll cover::  

• Ethical seed sourcing
• How to research, record and share the breeding histories and stories of seed, while also respecting the lineage of seed
• How to have trust between seed companies and traditional seedkeepers 
• How Indigenous peoples did the selection and adaptation of so many of foods
• Isolation distances and protecting genetics of traditional crops 
• Indigenous breeding methods
• Seed has a memory – how do we ensure seed, food, and stories are passed up, across, and down to all generations?
• How do we encourage youth and others to get involved in seed work
• What is working (and what isn’t) for the Indigenous food sovereignty movement

Register for Session #1: Embark on Your Seed Keeping Journey – Mastering the Basics

About the speaker: Tiffany Traverse is an Indigenous seed and land steward at Fourth Sister Farm, a guest in the Peace Region of what’s now known as BC, on Treaty 8 territory, homeland of the Dane-zaa peoples. Having grown up on her Great Grandparent’s homestead, on her peoples’ traditional Secwépemc territory in the Columbia Valley, Tiffany’s love for growing food and stewarding the land, comes as naturally as breathing.

Living now in northeastern BC, she continues to foster the belief that if you care for the land, it will give back to you in droves. Having the privilege of arable land access and a passion for community-led research, has given Tiffany the ability to participate in variety trials through CANOVI and Seed Savers Exchange, as well as the Seed Seva Seasonal Mentorship program with Rowen White. Her path has also led her to help conduct a large grow-out and stewardship of rare Indigenous seed under the mentorship of Métis Seedkeeper Caroline Chartrand.

March is Member Month at EFAO! Join EFAO or renew in March and you’ll be entered to win 3 books of their choice from New Society Publishers! Visit the EFAO membership page for more details.

In order to make our events accessible to all current and aspiring farmers in Ontario, EFAO uses a “pay what you can” model. To register using this model, please complete this form!

This webinar is part of EFAO’s Indigenous Outreach and Engagement Initiative, which is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.