Our year long course in Intermediate Vegetable Seed Production is designed to take you through the politics and practicalities of producing seed on your farm. We will look at how to cultivate, select and harvest seed, including how to grow seed to a commercial standard for sale. We will look at the ethics of seed production and the history of seed growing in the UK.

This course is run as a partnership between the Seed Sovereignty Programme and Tyfu Cymru. Made up of webinars, online study groups and independent growing, the course is designed to run across the year. Participants should attend all ten sessions, as well as growing their own seed crop on their farm.

All sessions will be facilitated by the Gaia Foundation Seed Sovereignty Coordinator for Wales: katie@gaianet.org

If you have any questions about the programme please contact us at tyfucymru@lantra.co.uk or katie@gaianet.org

 

Session 1 -  Seed Sovereignty

Thursday 5th May 4pm - 5pm  

Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvdOCpqzstEtXLpHH_Fmi6irUJ7t6FT5fh

This first session will look at the background of the Seed Sovereignty Programme and the partnership with Tyfu Cymru. It will look at opportunities such as on farm adaptation, seed swapping, seed selling, participatory plant breeding and genetic diversity.

Overview:

  • History of Seed
  • Political Seed Landscape
  • Agroecological growing practices

Accompanying Webinars /Resources:

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/vegetable-seed-training-programme-webinar-1-seed-sovereignty/

Seed Politics Talk from Helene Schulze (Seed Sovereignty Programme)

Watch a 3 minute summary of Seed Sovereignty and 3 minute summary of crop diversity loss: 

 

 

Session 2 - Plant Reproduction and Planning

Thursday 12th May 4pm - 5pm 

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkceGrqDMpEtPLbM4N_aOHViOD7oRRqQvl

Overview

  • Basic plant botany
  • Pollination: insect, wind, self
  • Basic isolation strategies
  • Population sizes: inbreeders and outbreeders
  • Annuals: overview of considerations
  • Biennials: overview of considerations
  • Rotation
  • Space requirements
  • Support structures

Accompanying Webinars /Resources:

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/vegetable-seed-training-programme-webinar-2-plant-reproduction/

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/vegetable-seed-training-programme-session-3/

 

Session 3 – Cultivation

Thursday 26th May 4pm - 5pm

Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvcO-trjooHtTA5TXjzSq5sujK2lSLQGM_

Overview

  • Healthy seed crops
  • Quality
  • Seed pests and diseases
  • Seed testing
  • Record keeping
  • Storage

Accompanying Webinars /Resources:

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/webinar-intermediate-vegetable-seed-training-session-4/

Watch the ‘DIY Seeds’ film for the crop you are growing: https://www.diyseeds.org/en/films/

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/toolkits/toolkit-seed-cultivation-seed-quality/

 

Session 4  - Selection

Thursday 9th June 4pm - 5pm 

Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqdeGpqT8vGtPr5jPfZhVZ-Cd4LtS8u8JE

Overview

Basic genetics

  • Selecting inbreeders
  • Selecting outbreeders
  • What to select for

Accompanying Webinars /Resources

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/webinar-intermediate-seed-training-session-5/

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/webinar-vegetable-seed-training-programme-webinar-7-plant-selection-2/

 

Session 5  - Study visit to Real Seeds

July Date TBC

Over view

Hear from a small seed business and their practices

  • Look at an example of crop selection
  • Real life examples of seed crops

 

Session 6 – Harvesting

Thursday 11th August 4pm - 5pm

 Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvf-2opj0rH9FfSx3dK1p00ym8EKz7IUoN

 Overview

  • Harvest timing for different seed crops: biennials and annuals
  • Post-harvest drying
  • Processing wet seeded crops
  • Processing dry seeded crops

Accompanying Webinars /Resources

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/webinar-vegetable-seed-training-programme-webinar-8-harvesting-and-cleaning-your-seed/

 

Session 7 – Processing

Thursday 8th Sept 4pm - 5pm

Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcod-ugqTIvHNabyKefF82x8XfAr44gW47I

Overview

  • Cleaning: low tech to high tech
  • Packing
  • Records
  • Testing
  • Treatments

Accompanying Webinars /Resources

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/webinar-vegetable-seed-training-programme-webinar-9-managing-and-processing-your-seed/

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/toolkits/toolkit-seed-cleaning-and-storage/

 

Session 8 – Routes to market

Thursday 13th Oct 4pm - 5pm

Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYuc-ivqD0uH9A8QgDpcKWaY2ueECuiHjzv

Overview

  • Contracting
  • Direct selling
  • Legislation
  • Gaps in the market
  • Developing market interest in OP seed
  • Hear from a seed company contracting and a direct seller

Accompanying Webinars /Resources

https://www.tyfucymru.co.uk/home/knowledge-hub/webinars-videos/webinar-intermediate-seed-training-session-10/

 

 Session 9 – Seed Justice

Thursday 10th Nov 4pm - 5pm

Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElcOygrzgqGtWjzI-Ts8ZPpTp7UoblhKIB

Overview

  • Seed ownership: plant breeders rights, indigenous seed, seed as commons
  • Seed stories: we will hear from local seed keepers about specific crop stories
  • Honouring seed origins: sourcing seeds ethically
  • Seed rematriation and reconciliation

 

Session 10  - Seed Futures

Thursday 8th Dec 4pm - 5pm

Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMod-ihqTIjEtDI8KlsF-Bx04rkJFeDGS9D

This session will be run live and we will have the opportunity to book some speakers depending on the specific interests of the group.

Overview

  • Seed to table: looking to the entire supply chain
  • Culinary and participatory plant breeding
  • Community seed systems
  • Commercial possibilities
  • Recap on entire programme