A handful of people in Ireland want to make sure that their kids eat the same apples as they did. But it takes a lot of work to protect native seeds.
ADVERTISEMENTWithout seeds, there is no food. The Irish Seed Savers Association is an NGO that has brought together a community via social media to guard the country's rare heirloom seeds and Heritage Apple Trees.
The Association has created a central store of seeds from food and fruit trees for now and future generations. Protecting indigenous seeds also ensures that the collection is adapting to the changing environment year on year, the NGO claims.
"From the seed to the crop that's grown, to the things that are sprayed on it, to the engineering of those crops are being owned by massive great global corporations," says Jo Newton, Seed curator at Irish Seed Savers.
The community seed guardian program ensures that the members do not rely on imported seed, reducing reliance on monocrop cultures and hybrids. The Irish Seed Savers Association is located on 20 acres of beautiful certified organic land 3 miles outside Scariff, including heritage orchards, polytunnels, raised beds, native woodland, ponds and a visitor centre.
Click on the video and watch how such a huge community comes together around something as small (but mighty) as a seed, set against the picturesque backdrop of the land.
