Bonus Episode 32: Seed Saving Class November 2019
A chat with a seed expert.
In This BONUS Podcast:
This special seed saving chat covers Bill McDorman’s learning and experiences after attending the 8th Session of the Governing Body International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resource for Food and Agriculture in Rome, Italy.
This is a recording of the November 2019 episode of a live Seed Saving Class discussing the global seed situation, plant patents, advanced methods for creating new plants, why seed saving is more important than ever, and so much more.
Join the class! Register anytime for the next event. Register Here for the Monthly Seed Saving Class with Live Q&A
Bill McDorman is Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, Ketchum, Idaho. He got his start in the bio-regional seed movement while in college in 1979 when he helped start Garden City Seeds. In 1984, Bill started Seeds Trust/High Altitude Gardens, a mail-order seed company he ran successfully until it sold in 2013.
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SHOW NOTES:
> News from the 8th Session of the Governing Body International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resource for Food and Agriculture in Rome, Italy.
> The current world debate about seeds for the things we eat.
> The United Nations Sessions and what it’s like to attend this international conference.
> Why the global north wants access to the world’s plant genetic diversity and why the global south wants benefit-sharing.
> 70% of the world’s food is produced by smallholder farmers on 2-6 acres of land.
> The current system of worldwide gene banks.
> The World Trade Organization’s requirements for plant patents and how that prevents independant farmers from saving their own seeds.
> Digital Sequence Information (DFI) and how the information DFI provides about gene sequences allows scientists create new plants using gene editing technology.
> CISPR gene editing vs traditional plant breeding.
> Seed Saving Organizations and why they are banding together.
> How seed saving helps impoverished areas and food deserts.
> Seed Saving in humid climates.
Seed School Online
UrbanFarm.org/bonus32
