RESOURCES
SEED SAVING ORGANIZATIONS

The Scatterseed Project - 39 Bailey Road Industry, Maine 04938

As featured in the documentary "Seed: The Untold Story", was started by Will Bonsall in Industry, Maine over 40 years ago. His vision was to grow a diverse array of crops in order to protect diversity and connect people with their horticultural heritage. Currently the Scatterseed Project collects, maintains, and distributes thousands of varieties of crop plants, many of them rare or endangered. Scatterseed originally got its name from the concern that genetic material preserved in some institutional collections (“seed banks”) is not available to the general public. Ultimately the most sustainable place for preserving genetic diversity is in the horticultural landscape – the gardens and farms of the world – where varieties are actively used, evaluated, and in some cases adapted and evolved.

The Seed Savers Exchange - 3094 North Winn Road
Decorah, Iowa 52101 (563) 382-5990.

As a nonprofit, Seed Savers Exchange aims to conserve and promote America’s culturally diverse but endangered garden and food crop heritage for future generations by collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants.

SEED PRODUCTION AND ON-FARM CROP IMPROVEMENT

Heritage Grain Conservancy400 Adamsville Road Colrain, Massachusetts 01340 (413) 624-0214.

The Heritage Grain Conservancy is a seed conservancy devoted to returning landrace seeds back to the hands of farmers and gardeners. We maintain a collection of hundreds of landrace grains collected in Europe and the Mideast, evaluate, select and breed landraces, offer workshops, host seed-exchanges and manage ‘Dancing Sheaves’, a heritage wheat bakery. 

Organic Seed Alliance - PO Box 772 Port Townsend, Washington  98368 (360) 385-7192.

Seed is part of our common cultural heritage – a living, natural resource that demands careful management to meet food needs now and into the future. Organic Seed Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances ethical seed solutions to meet food and farming needs in a changing world.

USEFUL PUBLICATIONS

Growing for Market - PO Bo75 Skowhegan, Maine 04976
 (207) 474-5518.

Growing for Market is America's most respected trade publication for local food and flower producers. GFM keeps you informed about the business of growing and selling vegetables, fruits, cut flowers, plants, herbs, and other food products. If you are market gardening or farming, whatever your scale, we guarantee you'll find valuable information that will help make your business more profitable and enjoyable. 

INFORMATION ON GENETIC ENGINEERING

ETC Group - or Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration 2464 rue de l'Église, #304 Val David QC J0T 2N0 Canada 1(514) 516-5759.

ETC Group works to address the socioeconomic and ecological issues surrounding new technologies that could have an impact on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. We investigate ecological erosion (including the erosion of cultures and human rights); the development of new technologies (especially agricultural but also other technologies that work with genomics and matter); and we monitor global governance issues including corporate concentration and trade in technologies. We operate at the global political level. We work closely with partner civil society organizations (CSOs) and social movements, especially in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Organic Consumers Association - 6771 South Silver Hill Drive Finland, Minnesota 55603 (218) 226-4164.

To protect consumers' right to safe, healthful food and other consumer products, a just food and farming system and an environment rich in biodiversity and free of pollutants.

Union of Concerned Scientists - Two Brattle Sq. Cambridge, MA 02138-3780 (617) 547-5552.

The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with people across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.

PHONE APPS

Buycott is the easy, empowering way to vote with your wallet. Join campaigns to support causes that you care about, then use Buycott when you shop to discover how a manufacturer matches up against your principles.

GoodGuides mission is to provide consumers with the information they need to make better shopping decisions. We believe that as more consumers choose products that contain ingredients with fewer health concerns, retailers and manufacturers face compelling incentives to make and sell better products.
PRESENTATIONS/WEBINARS

Consolidation of the Food System Part one of a webinar series with Dr. Phil Howard, Associate Professor in the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University. The presentation addressed the dominant food system trends of uniformity - and what that means for consumers in an ever consolidating world. If you missed his presentation you can listen to it here. (You will need to register to access the recording).