(3/3) seed keeping is a political act – Episode 1: Seeds As Time Capsules

A stomach is a carrier bag technology. Just as humans, non-humans plucked berries from shrubs, and picked up the best apples from the ground. The domestication of wild species is a complex and intertwined path to … ? Well, what is actually ‘wild’ in contrast to ‘domesticated’? In part three of “Seeds As Time Capsules” we return to the gene bank to explore how crop diversity came about and learn more about the intricate process of seed conservation and the resources it demands. Preserving an Eden-esk garden full of diversity in fortresses such as the doomsday vault in Svalbard can’t be the only way to go. We need diversity everywhere. By exploring new genomic editing technologies and the challenges the climate crisis poses to agriculture through the perspectives of a gene bank operator and a seed diversity activist, we emphasize the critical importance of protecting cultivated seed diversity and ensuring access for all. This underscores the urgent need for civil society's active involvement in safeguarding our agricultural future.