What is the Organic Seed Alliance?
Arlie Sommer:
The term biodiversity evokes images of scientists working on arcane, remote projects in exotic places - like rainforests or coral reefs. But the idea behind the term is really quite simple. Biodiversity is the natural state of ecology in all its variety. And although the idea is simple, compensating for generations of mono-crops is not an easy feat.
The Organic Seed Alliance or OSA, based out of Port Townsend, Washington, promotes diversity in agricultural seed. I recently spoke with the Advocacy Director of the Organic Seed Alliance, Matthew Dillon.
Dillon:
You know, we [have] more of a proactive approach of being for farmer-involvement in organic seed systems, [and] an increase in developing a decentralized regional seed system that serves farmers and gardeners.
The alliance began after a fire devastated Abundant Life Seeds, a Port Townsend foundation that collected and sold organic seeds. The board of directors took the opportunity to dedicate themselves to a new project: recreating a thriving organic seed system. They formed OSA in 2003.
Dillon:
As the seed industry over the last thirty/forty years has become more and more consolidated and a very small number of what were once chemical companies, Dupont, Bayer, Monsanto - as they bought up more and more of the seed industry - the needs of gardeners and regional farmers and smaller-scale farmers are not being met by those seed companies. So, we’re trying to help reinvigorate seed systems for regional needs - for local needs. That’s really the work of Organic Seed Alliance, through education and research.
OSA hosts the annual Organic Seed Growers Conference, bringing together producers, consumers and academics to discuss issues facing the organic sector. They also provide an online Seed Resource Guide Book and a database of organic seed producers for company networking.
Dillon:
We need to change our approach in plant breeding to recognize the resource restrictions that our world is facing, both with fuel systems, and soil depletion, water, etc.
According to the USDA, organic agriculture represents 1 to 2 percent of retail sales in the United States, and it's growing at a rate of 20 percent each year. OSA's next goal is to advocate that federal farm funding be allocated accordingly.
For "Our Organic Northwest", I'm Arlie Sommer.
For more on Organic Ag Trends:
Amber Waves: The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America
United States Department of Agriculture
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