The Northern Seed Network - preserving local seeds for a sustainable, regional food economy
by: Jorne Visser, Urban Gro Lab
Seeds are essential to a sustainable and authentic regional food economy. 'Het Noordelijk Zadennetwerk' (or in English: The Northern Seednetwork) creates a regional market for seeds. They thus preserve the specific qualities of regional crops and give regional SMEs an alternative to the monopolies of global corporations. The Municipality of Groningen awarded the Noordelijk Zadennetwerk with the Groene Peper Prijs. With the prize money the Network was able to organize a dedicated seed market. Here 22 producers and organisations concerning seeds and foods presented themselves and sold products, with the aim to maintain a lot of species of seeds to (re)create crops. All of them being small enterpreneurs or organizations aiming to diversify the world of food. A program of workshops and lectures the program informed interested people. During the event the Green Deal Voedselbossen (permaculture) was signed by a representative of the Province of Groningen. The event was visited by more than 1000 people and there was a lot of exchange of experiences and knowledge.
Introduction
With the backdrop of major seed producers such as Monsanto and DuPont, the landscape of seeds in the world is slowly turning into a uniform and globalized world where the power is in the hands of a few companies. Controlling the seeds is in many ways controlling the food supply chain. It discourages local and new innovation in plant and product development, which influences variety in products and landscape. That means that the biological diversity is rapidly declining. This development makes it also less likely for our food supply to adapt well to climate change. As Het Noordelijk Zadennetwerk sees it; seeds are the source of life and food. The network stimulates the use of regional and historical seeds, to protect our food security in this changing and globalizing industry.
How did we do it?
The network provides opportunities to exchange seeds freely, not being possessed by huge companies, but as a part of the local and regional communities. The organization aims to visualize the abundance of regional diversity in seeds and food and creating awareness about its importance. They do this by stimulating research on agricultural diversity and food security. Next to that they organize markets, workshops and meetings. This way they create and support the gene bank in the North of the Netherlands.
The municipality of Groningen helped the further development of the SME by giving them the opportunity to grow further with the help of the Groene Peperprijs. As the winners of last year’s Groene Peperprijs, the Northern Seedmarket won an encouraging prize of €1000,- and was provided by the municipality with a much broader foodnetwork. The prize and network was used to organize a regional seedmarket in the city of Groningen. The municipality helped the SME with organizing the event, by providing a good network and promotion. Here 22 producers of seeds and foods presented themselves and sold products, with the aim to maintain a lot of species of seeds to (re)create crops. A program of workshops and lectures the program was provided to an informed and interested audience. During the event the Green Deal Voedselbossen (permaculture) was signed by a representative of the Province of Groningen. The event attracted over a 1000 people and there was a lot of exchange of experiences and knowledge.
Next steps
The municipality and Reframe provided The Northern Seednetwork with a head start in developing its SME. The seedmarket that was organized this year provided a lot of exposure and promotion for the seednetwork, which is aiming to organized events like this more often. It is always able to use the foodnetwork of the municipality of Groningen and the Northern Seednetwork aims to build on this base that is set.
Contact information
Jorne Visser, Urban Gro Lab
E-mail: jorne.visser@groningen.nl
http://noordelijkzadennetwerk.nl/website/
https://groningen.nieuws.nl/evenementen-in-groningen/610249/noordelijke-zadenmarkt- zaaien-pit/
The 22 producers and organizations are:
| Arborealis | |
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Tuinen van Weldadigheid |
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Helleborus |
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De Godin |
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Bloemenpad, Leah Groeneweg |
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Rineke Dijkinga |
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Waldfarming |
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De Munterij |
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Seeds for Food |
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Kristin’s Kruiderij |
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Dhana Chocolade |
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Schildpad Boeken |
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Roeach |
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Gaia |
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De Hexenketel |
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Wilde planten Tuinkring IVN |
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EdanZ |
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Velt Groningen/Drenthe |
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Elise Groeneweg en Ellen Knoppe |
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Sofie – Verse Aarde |
http://debuitenschool.nl/ |
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Eetbare Stad Groningen |
https://eetbarestadgroningen.nl/ |
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Tuinjoop |
http://www.tuinjoop.com/ |