Ensuring Genetic Diversity

An overview of inspirational seed saving initiatives happening throughout Aotearoa-New Zealand, which can be replicated and adapted anywhere.
An insight into the impact of industrialised food monopolies and why our very food security is now reliant upon local community-scale seed systems.

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Instructional documentary ‘Hands-on Seed Saving’, where experts from around New Zealand share how they go about growing and saving seed.
They guide you step by step in how to select your best plants for seed, how to harvest, process, label and store your seed. This documentary is full of tips for you to embark on simple seed saving – now!  We encourage you to share it around.

Watch the trailer below - the full documentary is available for our subscribers (free) !

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Hands On Seed Saving - Trailer:

 

 



In this story, our team visited Randolf and Marty in the beautiful alpine resort of Wanaka. They’ve immigrated here from North America and they show us their small home farm in the middle of a subdivision, explaining how taking control of your own food is completely possible even in an urban setting. They’ve even caught the attention of their neighbours, who appreciate the benefits of local food!



As her grandkids move back to the neighbourhood, Helen Dew from Carterton is making plans to inspire the next generation of local food fans. Helen reckons that after 58 years of gardening the same quarter-acre section, there’s still room for more! She inspires us to turn our back yard garden into an anchor for community involvement, sharing some seed-saving tips and explaining just how important it is to her. As a key figure in the living economies movement, Helen knows more than most about the importance of community resilience.

In this extended interview heritage gardener Derek Craig talks about the loss of genetic diversity of fruit grown in New Zealand in the last 50-years and discusses how the commercialisation of food production has reduced nutritional benefits from fruit, and divorced many people from the knowledge of where their food comes from. However he points out that hope can be found in community groups and families that are rediscovering the value of growing their own food together, locally.
Join Mark Christensen as he introduces us to this heritage variety of apple that is fast becoming a favourite around the country. Mark and friends were out for a drive one day when they came across a century old apple tree. They had one bite and the rest is history. Mark says the apple is delicious, great for cooking and disease resistant. An international study put it at the top of the list for its high-levels of natural flavinoids, which have 'anti-cancer' properties. Mark is based is Wanganui where he runs a heritage nursery and is the research director of the Central Tree Crops Research Trust. They have more research and information on the Monty's Surprise apple and other projects on their website. http://www.treecropsresearch.org/

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Localising Food is a project of The Institute of Earthcare Education Aotearoa. As well as documentary production, Earthcare offers local food resilient workshops, permaculture design courses, community development consultancies and sustainability education resource materials. For further info:   www.earthcare-education.org

 

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