[Orange_County_Permaculture] February 17 - 22, 2013 Seed School with Native Seed Search Executive Director Bill McDorman, Joy Hought MSc and special guests Goleta CA

[Wesley Roe and Santa Barbara Permaculture Network]

Seed School - Fairview Gardens February 17 - 22, 2013
http://shop.nativeseeds.org/products/ssfg13




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


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