Support Organic Seed Savers in the Philippines

We are thrilled to share the news that the Benguet Association of Seed Savers (BASS) has officially launched a Seed Library in the Philippines. This project has been many years in the making and it is a first of its kind collaboration between an International NGO (Friends of ENCA Farm), Local Government Office (The Municipality of Tublay), and Farmer Association (BASS).

Friends of ENCA Farm helped organize the now 20-member farmer association over the course of the last two years. BASS aims to save, replant, and share their own seeds just as their ancestors did, while also benefiting from new, ecologically sound technologies. We know that seed saving is a form of insurance against food insecurity. It is also a concrete way for farmers to counter the loss of food diversity and the environmental destruction that comes with industrial agriculture.

We are certain that this seed library will be a model community initiative that will positively impact the lives of many farmers for years to come. We have lost more than 90% of our food diversity in the last 40 years due to the influx of synthetic seeds and the rise of bio-chemical companies. Today 3 major chemical companies own the majority of the worlds seeds…. not farmers. The opening of this farmer led owned and operated seed library is a direct effort to ensure that the power of food is returned to those that know it best, farmers like the dedicated members of the Benguet Association of Seed Savers.

Thank you for your generous support over the years that helped make this Seed Library come to life!  

Links:

• News Coverage About Seed Library Launch