PROVIDENCE

BY CATE HENDERSON
On May 6th and 7th, 2011,
an event of historic
importance occurred in
Ottawa, when 23 participants from
Canada joined together to try to
make this great country of ours seed
and food secure again.
As a representative of the Heirloom
Seed Sanctuary of the Sisters of
Providence of St. Vincent de Paul,
I was one of only two seed sanctuaries
represented the table; the only
two that exist in Canada.
The Sisters’ committed stewardship
of 300 different varieties of seeds is
one of the most important models
Canada has for creating locallyadapted,
ecologically-grown, educational
seed saving facilities across
the country. The participants
emphasized that seed sanctuaries
must be farmer-driven, non-profit,
and publicly-owned. A national
Canadian Seed-Saving initiative is
now afoot.
“This conversation, particularly
about existing seed work and future
possibilities, would be a critical first
step in the building of a pan-
Canadian applied seed action
network and/or program,” said
Kate Green of USC Canada, a nonprofit
international development
organization.
On behalf of the Heirloom Seed
Sanctuary, I offered thanks to USC
Canada and colleagues for organizing
this important event. The Sisters
look forward to helping ensure a
food and seed-secure Canada.
“While locally adapted seeds are
better suited to ever shifting growing
conditions — and thus insurance
for the future — most growers
of organic vegetables and grains in
Canada are forced to purchase seed
from the US, Europe or even farther
afield. Canada simply lacks the
supply. And the supply that exists is
under threat both from industrial
seed contamination and increasingly
unpredictable and extreme weather
Heirloom Seed Sanctuary
Heirloom Seed Sanctuary participates in Canadian Seed Conversation: Building a Seed And Food Security System in Canada
patterns. There is, in short, an
urgent need to build a more sustainable,
biodiversity-based seed supply
in Canada, outside the large-scale
industrial system.”
— Kate Green, USC Canada
Author Cate Henderson, far left, shares a meal with other participants.
It was served in the greenhouse of Ottawa seed grower
Greta Kryger of Greta’s Organic Gardens.
FACTS:
According to Seeds of Diversity Canada:
75% of food biodiversity has become extinct in the past 100 years
60% of the remaining…crop plants are inadequately conserved and
studied.
12th
Saturday, August 27th, 2011 at 10 a.m.
Providence Motherhouse
1200 Princess Street
20