By now , you ’ve likely heard about the Pennsylvania Department of Agricultureclosing down the Cumberland County Library System ’s seed libraryin Mechanicsburg , Pa. In case you this is the first you ’ve heard of this fearful history , here ’s a sum-up :
The PDA says the semen library is in encroachment ofPennsylvania Seed Act 164 . ( The website tie-in run to a somewhat - perceivable summary of this much - larger practice of law . ) for distribute seeds , there ’s a licensing fee , labeling requirement , and examination and enfranchisement ( for more fee ) . There is also a whole set of rule forseed libraries . One rule is that germ can be take aim out of the library but not refund to the subroutine library . ( What sort of “ library ” is that ? ) This is in the name of preserving metal money and reducing the risk of invading - mintage origination — agri - terrorist act is what the PDA is call it . ( Every state has a “ source law . ” Find your state’slaw and source official . )
Seed FreedomBecause it ’s obviously illegal to maintain seeds — food!—in cooperation with a big residential district , I opine it ’s even more authoritative to uphold seeds for ourselves and our neighbor . Other ground tosave seed , as I see it , are food for thought security , biodiversity , to grow motley of fruits and vegetables that are best - suited for each grow region ( not just USDA clime zone , but the real micro - climate and soil of each area ) , and because it ’s good for community building — just not for seed libraries .
Perhaps no one is a more frank or well - lie with pleader of source economy and diversity than Dr. Vandana Shiva , PhD. I have never met Dr. Shiva , but I have seen her mouth several times , including atSlow Food‘s Terra Madre in Torino , Italy , and at a small gathering at the University of Kentucky in Lexington , Ky. I have read so much of her work and hope to some day Tennessean at herNavdanyaconservation farm in Dehradun , India . In short , I ’m a lover .
From Sept. 20 to Oct. 20 , 2014 , Dr. Shiva ’s Global Alliance for Seed Freedom is holding theCall to Act for Seed , Food , and Earth Democracy , asking sustainable - agriculture help to reaffirm their commitment to body politic sovereignty and ethnical heritage in an effort to move away from industrial agriculture .
Eventsare taking place around the world , stray from gather as declamatory as thePeople ’s Climate Marchduring the United Nations Secretary General ’s Climate Summit in New York to small - townsfolk seed - save workshops and pin - harvest meal . Find and enter in an event near you during this calendar month , or get on plank a major movement .
On the Seed Freedom website , Dr. Shiva say , “ Every lead year the interconnected crises of our planet become clearer ; we face social , economical and ecological collapse in every corner of our globe . Industrial husbandry has degraded our land , destroyed our biodiversity , and uprooted granger from their livelihood and culture . By privatise and patenting the ejaculate , the old economy has make an ecological crisis and an economic disaster . ”
What Are You depart to Do ?
Even a little action to support sustainable land , cum freedom and biodiversity can make a statement . In my street corner of the Earth , I ’ll be helping to harvest heirloom pumpkins , beans and corn from a three - sister ’s biotic community plot that ’s been planted bySustainable Agriculture of Louisvillesince 2008 .
Learn more about germ saving and nutrient republic from HobbyFarms.com :
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