There are hundreds of thousands of seeds.
Many of us are not even able to recognise the corresponding seeds of the food
we eat. The average botanist could at most identify some hundreds of them.
While studying agriculture in university formally, I passed some practical seed
identification exams. I observed that seeds from the same family look quite
similar; even those who deal with them on daily basis might get confused. But
the beauty of the seeds is that they never lose their identity.
One thing all seeds share in common, no
matter how similar or different they seem from each other, is that once they’re
put in soil they manifest their true identity. They are tiny but living
supercomputers, with sophisticated genetic information and programming. They know
the best times to germinate, flower, fruit and mature, and accommodate biotic
and abiotic challenges. They have inherited sensors which sense the optimum
temperature, light, humidity and other external conditions to pick the best
moment to open their winged cotyledons and fly into the sky.
Traditional communities have always
revered their seeds. They protected them throughout the ages and passed on the
strongest, tastiest and best seeds to each next generation, which are what we
now call heirloom or native seeds.
During this process, seeds also remembered
and adapted to the local climate, rain, drought, pest attacks and other
conditions which occurred during their life. The intelligence of the plant
modified their offspring to better handle all these conditions. This is why
local and heirloom seeds are more resilient to climate change and adversities
of climate.
It is also being demonstrated that seeds
have many sense capacities; detecting conditions of the soil, climate change,
people who raised them and the micro-climate where they are grown. They are, in
fact, more intelligent and responsive than we tend to consider. You may notice
that often, acquired seeds take time to acclimatize to new places. Doesn’t it
seem meta-physical in nature, to consider that seeds are tiny but living
supercomputers?
Save your local traditional seeds
Ask your elders for the plants which have
survived the green revolution and allow them to continue optimizing for their
environment. Swap seeds with other local gardeners so that you’re able to grow
those which have been surviving and thriving under unusual and extreme weather
conditions. In return, they will be there to nourish us as climate conditions
become more and more unpredictable.
It is this relationship between the
farmer, the seeds and the land which creates abundance. Yet if we don’t respect
the intelligence of our collaborators, how will that affect us? Perhaps we
already see the answer playing out each season when crops are failing.
By cherishing the intelligence and genius
of the local seeds, we can improve these statistics and once again live in
flourishing communities with diverse, delicious and well adapted food crops.
It all starts by honouring the potential
and the intelligence which each seed bears.
Collect and share these tiny
supercomputers! Support their evolution so that they may support ours. They are
the greatest gift, and by respecting what they have to offer, we can again live
in reverence and enthusiasm for their wisdom and capacity for advanced
regeneration.
This piece is written by Vipesh Garg with editing and contributions by Naomi Joy Smith.
