Seed saver workshop

Jude & Michel Fanton are passionate seed savers who have run the national Seed Saver's Network in Australia for over 25 years.  They have also worked on, documented and researched seed saving in 38 countries, trained seed savers, written books and made films to pass on their vast knowledge. 

This is a rare opportunity to spend a day with this internationally recognised couple.  In this one day workshop Jude and Michel will cover:

Food Sovereignty Starts with a Seed

                        • Global issues of seed ownership

                         • Changing laws on patents

                         • Higher levels of nutrition in traditional varieties

                         • Community conservation of genepool of food crops

Background to Biodiversity

                         • The importance of the choice of planting material

                         • The origins of plants

                         • From where do supermarket food varieties come?

                         • Chemical dependency, hybrids and genetically manipulated organisms

What Seeds to Save

                          • Heirlooms and historical varieties

                          • Local varieties – adaptation

                          • Arrivals with immigrants

                          • Connect with what you eat

Purity and Production

                            • Pollination – self and cross-pollination

                            • Annuals, Biennials and Perennials

                            • Keeping a variety pure – isolation in time, by distance, and by artificial means

                            • Plants that are vegetatively reproduced

Selection and Collection

                             • Criteria for selection

                             • When to select

                             • How many to select

After the Seed Harvest

                              • Cleaning & Drying

                              • Seed-borne diseases

                              • Storing

                              • Germination testing

Planting and Planning

                               • The self-seeding garden

                               • Leaving plants to go to seed

                               • Community seed banking