In 1903, one could find over 500 varieties of lettuce, 500 varieties of cabbage, 400 varieties of peas and tomatoes, and 285 varieties of cucumbers offered in seed catalogues in Canada and the United States. By the 1980s, the varieties available had dwindled sharply, to just 36 varieties of lettuce, 28 varieties of cabbage, 25 varieties of peas, 79 for tomatoes, and just 16 varieties of cucumbers. Moreover, researchers for the National Seed Storage Laboratory in the United States found that 93 percent of 66 crop seeds offered in commercial farming operations had been lost during the period from 1903 to 1983. Since 1900, about 86 per cent of the thousands of apple varieties once commonly found in Canada have gone extinct. There are several important reasons to retain heirloom seed varieties including taste and nutritional qualities often lost in commercial varieties, natural pest and disease tolerances as well as providing food security through genetic diversity. Yet the decline in seed varieties available commercially to the gardener and farmer since the 1980s continues around the world.
How did this happen?
In the early 1900s, U.S. and Canadian governments began promoting the development of large export-oriented agriculture industries based on only a few crops. In order to maximize uniform yields, seed breeding, which was originally the domain of farmers, moved off the rural land and into urban public research facilities. Variety development in these facilities focused on the food plants being transformed into commodities.
Scientific advances in the 1970s and ’80s brought in a new era of agriculture that still dominates to this day when agrichemical companies ventured into the world of genetic engineering and transformed themselves into the biotechnology industry.
Until the 1990s, seed development in Canada was public and Agriculture Canada facilities developed new varieties to meet farmers’ needs and then turned those varieties over to farmers at low cost. However in 1990, the Canada`s Plant Breeders Rights bill was adopted which means plant breeders can protect their new varieties in the same way an inventor protects a new invention with a patent. For example, the company Monsanto owns several thousand seed and plant patents.
Multinationals such as Monsanto, Bayer and Syngenta, which for many years were solely manufacturers of agricultural chemicals, have been systematically developing their seed divisions, mainly through the acquisition of other seed companies. This has resulted in two thirds of the global commercial seed market being controlled today by just a few companies. Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer, Dow, and BASF collectively own or partially-own hundreds of formerly-independent seed companies — and Monsanto dominates them all. These agrichemical companies own 43 percent of the world’s commercial seed supply and 10 multinational corporations hold 65 percent of global commercial seed for major crops.
Seeds traditionally were saved and shared between farmers from one harvest season to the next. Farmers rarely ever had to buy new seed. Now farmers relying on patented seeds must buy them each year from companies like Monsanto. Saving such seeds is illegal because it is considered to be patent infringement. In addition, although not yet been commercialized or field-tested although tests are being currently conducted in greenhouses in the United States, the introduction of ‘terminator technology’ or ‘suicide seeds’ which refers to plants that have been genetically modified to render sterile seeds at harvest, which will prevent farmers from saving and re-planting harvested seed is a frightening future possibility. Two recent documentaries one can find online Seeds of Time and, The Seed Wars explore this scary new food world.
Yet in this seemingly dark future dystopian world, there are glimmers of light. Numerous small independent seed companies have sprung up worldwide and across Canada offering a large variety of heirloom seeds.
And then there is Seeds of Diversity https://www.seeds.ca/, a Canadian organization formed in 1995 out of the Heritage Seed Program of the Canadian Organic Growers established in 1984. Everyone is welcome to join as a member and participate in seed swapping, trial projects or simply support the ongoing work of this important organization.
Seeds of Diversity searches out heirloom and endangered varieties of vegetables and fruits and herbs, particularly Canadian varieties, provide information on the proper methods of seed saving to maintain the genetic integrity of crop varieties and co-operates with individuals, groups, and institutions in Canada and internationally in aid of maintaining, supplementing, and salvaging existing collections of heirloom and endangered varieties. Each year, the members’ Seed Directory lists approximately 3,000 varieties of vegetables, fruits, grains, herbs and ornamental plants; over two-thirds of the varieties offered in the Directory are not available from any seed company in North America. Seeds of Diversity is also involved in public participation programs such as the 2016 great tomato grow-out where gardeners are invited to help save tomato seeds from a collection of 800 heritage varieties, or grow out one of more of the 100 available garlic varieties for preservation and for future generations. Seeds of Diversity also promotes a bee friendly farming and gardening certification program and because of the significant decline worldwide, promotes a pollination program to help protect over 800 species of native bees and 1000s of other pollinators found in Canada to help ensure the sustainability of our food supply as well as numerous ecosystems.
Seeds of Diversity is also involved the promotion annual events called Seedy Saturdays and Seedy Sundays. First begun in Canada in 1990, these events consist of the swapping and sale of seeds or other propagation material of plant cultivars saved by individuals, families or small seed companies.
There will be a Seedy Sunday event in Peterborough to be held on Sunday March 13, from 1 to 5 at George St. United Church, 534 George Street North (corner George and McDonnell Street). What a great way to chase away the winter doldrums and welcome spring by picking up seeds of something new and exciting to try out in the vegetable, fruit or flower garden.
Seeds of Diversity will be one of many seed providers at this event. Stop by and have a chat.
By Jane Zednick
