Helping Filipino Farmers Access the Seeds to Their Future
How do you begin to digest your personal response to huge, overwhelming issues such as World Hunger, Genetically Modified farming and responsible response to Climate Change? I would like to share a small but very bright shining star, a non-profit known as Global Seed Savers, working in the Philippines and Denver Colorado to address all these issues in very practical and effective ways. I care deeply about these issues and call both Colorado and the Philippines as home. I, like many others, grow distrustful of large, flashy, big institutional responses to these problems. That's why I have made it a priority to work for an organization that demonstrates solution to these issues with integrity. Please join me!!
THE PROBLEM: The Philippines is one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world. Containing over 7,000 islands of diverse eco-systems ranging from coastal landscapes to dense tropical forested mountainsides. Rural and peri-urban communities continue to see the largest impacts of the global changing climate. Agriculture is one of the most impacted sectors by the realities of climate change. As weather patterns become more unpredictable, growing conditions dramatically change. Farmers need to regain growing flexibility and plant a wide diversity of crops. Filipino farmers continue to lack access to high-quality technical training programs about local seed production and access to a wide diversity of locally produced, regionally adapted seeds. This forces farmers to purchase chemically -treated seeds and places great economic burdens on farmers spending time and money on unsustainable inputs and farming practices. Currently, the Philippines is the largest producer of GMO crops in Southeast Asia and #12 in GMO production and exporting (to your grocer!). It is important to begin change in the Philippines.
SOLUTION MODEL: The model utilized by Global Seed Savers Ensures Farmers Success
Global Seed Saver farmers offer technical training (Seed Saving School) to their peers. This promotes farmers developing seed trials and collaborative organization among farmers. From this practice of Seed Saving, they have developed collaborative Seed libraries (see below!) and increase their personal household income through seed sales or lowered costs on seed purchase.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS (since 2015)
Long-Term Impact
Our model is working and gaining traction throughout the Philippines. With your support we will meet the growing demand to offer our signature technical training programs to new partner communities throughout the Philippines and support increased seed production and sales from the Benguet Association of Seed Savers (BASS).
Funds raised during this campaign will support the following strategic initiatives of Global Seed Savers in the coming year:
• Host three additional Seed Schools in new communities of the Philippines.
• Open one new seed library in a new partner community of the Philippines. Ensuring a community of at least 40,000 people have access to locally produced non-chemical seeds.
• Create a network of seed savers throughout the country and supporting sharing and safety back-up of seeds. Ensuring the long-term safety of seeds in the face of climate change.
• Scale the production, marketing, and monitoring and evaluating of BASS member seed production and sales. Funds will support hiring a new team member to manage and monitor this program and support the sales and marketing of larger scale production and varieties of local seeds.
Working to build a robust and farmer-led agricultural economy is one of the most important ways we can ensure a sustainable future. Thank you for supporting our growing movement!