seedsharing

Seedsharing refers to the practice of exchanging seeds among individuals, households, community groups, and organizations rather than relying solely on commercial suppliers. It supports access to plant varieties, promotes agricultural biodiversity, and can strengthen local food systems. Unlike seed saving, which focuses on retaining seeds for personal use, seedsharing emphasizes distribution, mutual exchange, and widening germplasm availability.

Common methods include seed swaps at community events, seed libraries where people borrow and return seeds, and informal exchanges through online platforms or neighborhood networks. Participating seeds are typically open-pollinated or heritage varieties, allowing farmers and gardeners to save seeds without losing varietal traits from generation to generation. Good practice includes documenting variety, origin, year collected, growing conditions, and any treatment, to maintain provenance and enable proper replanting.

Benefits include increased genetic diversity in local gardens, climate adaptation, lowered costs for growers, and knowledge sharing on cultivation, pest management, and soil health. Seedsharing can also support seed sovereignty by empowering communities to maintain control over the crops they grow and eat.

Challenges include legal constraints such as seed regulations, variety protection, and labeling requirements; disease and pest transmission risk; quality and germination concerns; and potential unintended spread of hybrids if not properly managed. Ethical considerations include respecting seed provenance and avoiding exploitation of community seed pools.

Related concepts include seed libraries, agroecology, seed sovereignty, and open-source seed initiatives. Seedsharing networks vary in scale from local neighborhood groups to national exchanges and often operate on volunteer networks and mutual aid principles.