Background: More and more farmers in the US are recognizing the importance of growing their own cultural foods and saving seed from them, for a myriad of reasons including preventing biodiversity loss in food crops, combatting corporate consolidation in the seed industry, and reconnecting with ancestral foodways and cultures. 

At the same time, it can be difficult to access these heritage varieties. Laws for bringing seeds over borders are stringent to prevent the spread of plant diseases, and not very many heritage seeds from around the world are available commercially in the US. But there is a domestic resource that we can use to access our heritage seeds. The USDA has a massive repository of seeds from around the world, called the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). These seeds are used for many purposes, including new crop production and research for the agricultural sector. Learn how to access this resource as a way to enrich our own seed production and simultaneously reconnect with heritage crops from your homelands. 

What/Where: In this online 3-session cohort, you will learn more about how to access these seeds for your heritage seed projects. Introduction to the NPGS database, strategies and support for selecting seed varieties, and instruction on the process of requesting them from the NPGS. You will walk away with a submitted request to the NPGS repository. 

Why: Federal budget cuts are downsizing the NPGS staff, fewer staff hours and resources could mean ____

Who: This workshop series is geared towards folks who are already engaged in seedkeeping for heritage seeds, farmers, seed breeders, researchers, and small seed companies who wish to learn more about accessing the USDA’s seed repositories. It will be presented live online and will not be recorded, but information from the presentation will be shared with registered participants. It will be interactive, and we will expect to hear from folks who are attending about their projects, journeys, experiences navigating the online interface, and more. 

Session 1, 4/15, 5-7PM PCT: We will go over how to access the USDA’s repository through their online interface. 

Session 2, 4/22, 5-7PM PCT: We will learn how to submit a request to access the seeds. 

Session 3, 4/29, 5-6PM PCT: We will troubleshoot any issues that folks are having, and also take some time to hear people’s success stories in submitting an application!