Who Are Seed Libraries Serving?
Seeds “tease out the way colonialism has hacked and crushed our cultures—towards a future liveable with deep joy”
(La Vaughn et al., 2020, p. 18)
Seed libraries can be touted as valuable contributions to food security and environmental sustainability objectives but are only accessible to a select group of people. Libraries, academia and sustainability are often privileged white spaces, yet food security and climate change disproportionately affect women and marginalized groups (Hare, 1970; Ramachandran, 2013; Sibiya et al., 2022). For these reasons, seed stewardship and partnerships are important considerations for a seed library.
Seed stewardship gives value to seeds and makes people think about food systems, and maybe even the injustices around those systems, including on-campus. Seeds might inspire people to consider that in Canada, the probability of food insecurity is dependent on income, Indigenous or immigration status, disability, education, parental status, and place of residence (Tarasuk et al., 2019). Or how Wang et al. (2023) found that although 15% of post-secondary students in Canada are food insecure, this percentage is higher in non-students of a similar age. Paganini and Lemke (2020) note that food insecurity is the result of long-standing structural inequalities within the food production system.
Seed libraries cannot solve an intersectional problem by providing tools that benefit and privilege existing systems. Partnerships help the seed libraries to engage with a wider network, that hopefully reflects the diversity of the campus and larger community. Working with other groups can bring different voices and perspectives to seed libraries and academic libraries. Patterson et al. (2020) outline how food insecurity is an intersectional issue that affects certain communities at higher rates due to discriminatory practices that affect social and economic benefits. As such, it seems logical that effective solutions to reduce food insecurity should also be intersectional.
Seeds as decolonizing tools
Seeds can be an important part of a college or university’s offerings because it gives them value, and reflects the institution’s values and missions (La Vaughn et al., 2020). However, seeds can also be an act of decolonization within an academic library by giving space to seeds that are historically important or valued by oppressed communities. Khan, a seed librarian, outlines how seeds (and the food or plants they can become) “tease out the way colonialism has hacked and crushed our cultures—towards a future liveable with deep joy” (La Vaughn et al., 2020, p. 18). Saving and sharing seeds that have significance to particular communities is a way to “[make] visible the unremembered” (La Vaughn et al., 2020, p. 19) by giving seeds value in an act of decolonization. In the reverse, when types of seeds are omitted from a seed library it can be an act of colonization to prioritize or give value to certain seed varieties over others. Seed libraries can be a venue for social justice activism, but this requires work and intentionality from the program staff (who are not dedicated to the seed library full time), as well as resources (that are not always readily or easily available).
Library and information studies professionals make decisions about what items belong within a collection, and while seed libraries uphold the fallacy of being a neutral program, seeds can be an empowering and political tool that librarians actively choose to offer patrons. By recognizing the power that seeds can have, seed librarians may wish to partner with or consult oppressed groups on campus to determine if there are seeds that would be significant or meaningful to include. Perpetuating the status quo is quicker, cheaper and easier, but it only provides service to a limited number of predominantly white and settler patrons. Appropriately involving and reflecting the values of underserved communities may advance seed library objectives in a more significant way. Libraries are seeking ways to engage and include the community and allowing patrons to create the seed library through donations is an empowering way to include them in the program because patrons that grow their own seeds become a partner and part of the seed library.
However, without the desired resources to do communication and education activities, seed librarians cannot be expected to go a step further and explore the impact of the program, bearing in mind larger equity and inclusion goals. For example, academic seed libraries have an opportunity to learn from, and work with, Indigenous-led seed keepers to offer culturally sensitive and relevant programming. This is intentional work that cannot be done quickly because it requires relationship building beyond just partnership. The interviewees explained that there are often only one or two staff members that dedicate less than five hours a month to the seed library, which is likely not enough time to do anything more than maintain basic seed library operations.
Data is power
Data could be helpful in providing a rationale and evidence to justify a request for additional resources. However, none of the seed libraries are collecting sufficient data to be able to evaluate their services to understand who is using the seed library, nor how or why. Usage data could help seed libraries to make a compelling argument for more support to expand their programs in the way that could adequately meet their objectives and goals. Without sufficient time and financial resources, seed libraries are not being monitored or evaluated, which could impact the growth or even the maintenance of their programs. The survey and interview results indicate that seed library objectives, such as promoting food security, are smaller in scale and ambition than the institution’s, and therefore more realistic in what they can achieve or offer the community. Institutional and seed library objectives might align in terms of contributing to the same ideals, but the targets or measurements for success are different.
Making labour visible
Hearing that the informants want to do more but cannot, further reinforces that seed libraries are not an institutional priority, particularly when it is evident that seed librarians are actively working to keep the programs running. This is highlighted by the fact that many seed libraries already rely on volunteer student labour. The informants did not specifically state that they needed more human resource support and only one informant said funding was a challenge, but additional paid staff working on the seed libraries could greatly benefit their programs. For example, the University of British Columbia’s X̱wi7x̱wa library has an employee who dedicates significant time to the seed library, and the extra human resource support is noticeable in terms of program offerings. This seed library has built meaningful partnerships, collaborates with on-campus groups and offers a culturally significant seed library that takes local and Indigenous knowledge and priorities into account.
An important take-away from the survey results is that only half of the institutions provide financial support, which indicates that seed libraries are not a priority for the university. Without sufficient resources, seed libraries are not able to grow or sometimes even maintain their programs. Further, academic seed libraries are not evaluating their programs in a formal way, and this is likely due to a lack of financial or human resources. One respondent likes the informality of the seed library but indicated that they proactively report results up to decision makers so that their work is acknowledged. Without tangible data, I expect it would be difficult for seed libraries to be acknowledged for their work or make a compelling argument for more support to expand their programs in the way that could adequately meet their objectives and goals.
Based on the survey responses, individuals who identify as women or non-binary are primarily (over 90%) responsible for academic seed libraries in Canada. This is an assumption I made based on the respondents' pronouns, as indicated in email signature blocks or online research. The majority of librarians managing seed libraries have volunteered for or been delegated the role due to a personal interest, but seed libraries remain a side project for librarians in addition to the role for which they were hired. This would align with the notion that women volunteer for or are asked to perform additional tasks in the workplace that are less likely to lead to a promotion (Babcock et al., 2017). However, the majority of respondents may be women simply because women–and particularly white women–continue to be the most prevalent group in the LIS field (Schlesselman-Tarango, 2016). The work of seed libraries should be recognized, especially because they are largely being run off the side of a desk. I wanted to end this exhibit by raising the labour of women as it often goes unnoticed and is undervalued. And women really do deserve the last word.