[Seedgeeks] bioregional seed stewardship meeting report

[Nick Routledge]

Frank Morton asked me to keep him posted on the weekend's happenings.
Here's my note to him.

n.


> 
> > Hi Nick,
> > I'm sorry I'm getting this so late. Yes we've been trying to get our 
> > seed in ahead of today's rain, and barely did so. Not even done yet, 
> > but came to a defensible line.
> 
> Yes, word from the fields is that the seed collectors are harvesting
> like
> mad just now. An old seed hand told me yesterday that the 5 week dry
> spell
> we can typically count on this time of year is history.
> 
> > This is the 2nd seed gathering I've had to miss (the other at OSA) due
> 
> > to poor timing...Who thinks it a good time to gather seedpeople? This 
> > is when real seedpeople are really bizzy gathering seedheads! 
> 
> Yes, we're well aware and my apols once again. In truth, if the
> rendez-vous had stood alone, we would have chosen a different date, but
> the permaculture gathering provided us with a free venue, great food,
> music, access to one of the more sophisticated sustainable living tribes
> in the country, and lots of newbie potential for the Cause - hence an
> opp
> we thought we should jump on. In essence, attendees represent the
> constituency who are ripest for conversion to the seedsaving meme.
> Preaching to the new choir.
> 
> > I would be interested in what you folks talk about, what issues are on
> 
> > your minds, what organizations you are looking toward for leadership
> on 
> > seed issues, and what pisses you off. Where do you see organic seed 
> > production headed? Let me know what you hear. Thanks for tuning me in.
> 
> Nothing out of the ordinary to report, I sense. The usual issues
> surfaced...The realpolitik of Mammon, as always, a defining personal
> concern of the commercial growers. I was trained as an investment banker
> and spent a good few years lurking around the deeper reaches of the
> international capital scene, so I need no education in moolah: and you
> know better than I what economics has done and continues to do to the
> seed
> archetype and seed community. There was definitely creative tension
> between the commerical and non-commercial hands, but it was oh so very
> clearly gentle, respectful, acknowledged. Unusually so, I thought.
> Refreshing. 
> 
> It is clear that the experienced commerical growers have a very great
> deal
> to offer in terms of knowledge and expertise, where the non-commerical
> gardeners have _Freedom_ to grow the types of crops, and in the types of
> styles, and in the quantities, that simply make no economic sense.
> 
> There were a buncha neophyte faces at the discussion, so we steered away
> from breeding micro-particulars and stayed pretty broad around the
> notion
> of crop stewardship. Alerting people to whassups and then opening the
> circle up and letting conversation flower. Grassroots insight was that
> we
> could do with co-ordination for growing and distribution. Nothing
> exceptionally newsworthy there for moi or toi, but I think the event was
> significant in that the "solutions" the experienced hands have been
> mooting were spontaneously volunteered by the backyard gardeners without
> prompting. The seeds are planted. There was clearly demand for more
> local
> support for seedsavers both in terms of teaching and co-ordinating. So,
> we're pulling together a seedsaving workshop within the next couple of
> weeks (Saturday 25th?) to try and catch the end of this season, with
> more
> ideas to follow.
> 
> On that note, the hottest worshop of the interdisciplinary mishmash we
> offered at the gathering was, very surprisingly to me, a session on
> winter
> gardening. Packed and _charged_, it woz, and you coulda cut the air with
> a
> butter knife. One of the more worldly attendees said she couldn't
> remember
> such an atmosphere around a crowd of any sorts, in a long, long time.
> Who
> woulda thought winter gardening would be the sexy session of the
> gathering? There was palpable hunger for gnosis. We've decided to parlay
> the interest into an advanced organic gardening workshop series we're
> kicking off in the next fortnight. 
> 
> One of my defining long-term interests are horticultural approaches
> which
> annihilate the distinction between breeding plot and the harmonic
> chaostrophy of the Garden. I'd like to see that notion dropped into the
> advanced organic gardening mix. Perraps I could tackle you around that
> theme sometime? Likewise, any pointers to Sept 25 concerns, however
> brief,
> would be most welcome.
> 
> Okey, dokey, Frank, that concludes mah summary. Any more questions,
> please
> don't hesitate to drop me a line.
> 
> Later,
> 
> n.
> 
> 


		
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