Join NS/S Executive Director Bill McDorman, Joy Hought
MSc and special guests for a 6-day Seed School session at Fairview
Gardens in Goleta, California. Seed School is for gardeners, farmers,
herbalists, nurseries, CSAs, non-profits, government agencies and
everyone concerned with regional, sustainable and diverse agriculture.
Proceeds benefit Native Seeds/SEARCH. Click here to learn more about
this groundbreaking course.
February 17 - 22, 2013
The Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens
598 N. Fairview Avenue
Goleta, CA 93117
Early Bird Discount: Register before February 1 for only $600!
Tuition: $700
Deposit to reserve a spot: $200
http://shop.nativeseeds.org/products/ssfg13
Proceeds benefit Native Seeds/SEARCH. Full payment is due two weeks
prior to the starting date. Space is limited - sign up early!
Payment can also be made by mailing a check payable to Native
Seeds/SEARCH, 3584 E. River Road, Tucson AZ 85718. Indicate "Seed
School - Fairview Gardens 2013" on your check and include contact
information and phone number.
After making your deposit, please click here to complete your
registration.
http://www.nativeseeds.org/index.php?option=com_rsform&formId=1
Seed School Details
As awareness grows around issues of food and sustainability, people
everywhere are waking up to the vital importance of seeds. Now more
than ever, we need small, bioregional seed operations to replace the
“one-size-fits-all” industrial seed system. To answer this need, Native
Seeds/SEARCH has created Seed School.
Think “Seeds First”
Seed School is a groundbreaking 6-day course designed to help
participants create new regional and sustainable seed production and
distribution systems. Students walk away from this innovative
educational program with the knowledge and inspiration to start their
own heirloom seed company, organize a community seed-lending library,
and train others in the art and practice of seed saving. Seed School is
for gardeners, farmers, seed savers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, policymakers
and anyone interested in turning the tide on the industrialization of
our food and agriculture.
Why Seed School?
When our ancestral gardeners needed seed, there were no glossy catalogs
to leaf through. They acquired their replanting stock through the
time-honored practice of seed saving, a tradition dating back some
10,000 years. But today most farmers and gardeners purchase their seed
from “Big Box” chains and corporate seed companies. This dramatic shift
has taken its toll. Over the past century, we’ve lost an alarming
amount of biodiversity among our food crops and become dependent on an
industrialized agricultural system that puts profits above all else.
Seed School encourages a return to the ancient art of seed saving to
reconnect people from all walks of life with seeds—the source of all
sustenance.
We envision a vast network of thousands of small, bioregional seed
companies and community-owned seed collections replacing the
disempowering and ecologically destructive industrial system. By taking
ownership over our seeds once again and rejoining the ritual of seed
saving, we are replenishing our dwindling biodiversity, building up
beneficial crop adaptations, and strengthening food security where we
live. This is the way to true sustainability... and to healthier,
better-tasting food!
What You’ll Learn
This first-of-its-kind course teaches the practical, detailed
information necessary to recreate the genetic foundation for a truly
sustainable agriculture. Seed School’s focus is to dissect the current
world seed situation, take a hard look at its implications, and then
help students gain the skills needed to construct new seed production
and distribution models for both profit-making and nonprofit
institutions.
Classroom time in this permaculture-inspired program is balanced with
hands-on activities, group work, and consulting time with our expert
instructors. For our Tucson courses, a field trip to the 60-acre Native
Seeds/SEARCH Conservation Farm offers students a unique window into a
professional seed conservation organization at work.
Topics covered during Seed School include:
Structure and History of the Seed Industry
The Magic of Seeds
Intro to Mendel's Genetics
Selection and Evaluation
Pollination
Breeding
Harvesting
Germination
Wild Seed - Production, Collection, Cleaning
Seed Exchanges, Libraries, Businesses
Click here to download the full Seed School syllabus.
Bill McDorman
Bill McDorman is the principal instructor for Seed School and the
Executive Director of Native Seeds/SEARCH, a 29-year-old Southwestern
seed conservation organization based in Tucson, Arizona. He is the
founder of three seed companies and several nonprofits, and author of
the 1994 book Basic Seed Saving.
Joy Hought, MSc
Joy Hought has a unique combination of expertise including 15 years
teaching and developing curricula in the arts and sciences; 2 years in
public broadcasting; and a graduate degree in seed science
A Fairview Gardens Program
Co-sponsored by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
www.sbpermaculture.org