Stewardship

During the interview with the respondent from the University of Winnipeg seed library, they called seed librarians “seed stewards” and noted that it could be problematic to claim ownership over seeds. To steward seeds is to take responsibility for seeds and keep them alive through growth and circulation. If we view seed libraries in this light, then seed librarians have a responsibility towards the seeds, as well as a level of care and thoughtfulness, to continue giving seeds life by nurturing not just bodies but also local cultures and environments. A change of perspective is required to give value to the stewardship of seeds, rather than just valuing the seeds themselves.

Seeds as sacred, not commodity

In the Canadian colonial context, a widespread culture of seed saving or seed stewardship has not developed. To steward seeds is to care for seeds as living beings, so they can be planted and give life to nurture us now, and again year after year. Stewarding seeds is valuing seeds for more than just the next season, but rather for future generations (Kliem, 2022). Regarding seeds as “a sacred common good of cultural significance, rather than as a commodity” (Kliem, 2022, p. 26) prioritizes the stewardship and the continuity of seeds, instead of individual ownership. In building up a practice of seed saving and stewardship, seed libraries can also develop a sustainable seed model.

Seeds have value as seeds

Seed libraries can respond to racism and exclusionary practices by giving value to seeds, and making linkages between gardens, community and health (Soleri, 2018). The work of seed librarians could be amplified with the understanding that food insecurity will not be solved by providing seeds. Rather, the seeds are a mechanism to raise awareness, provide information and make connections to the root causes of food injustice and insecurity. Two institutions included learning as an objective for the seed library, which seems like a natural linkage for an educational institution, but that may be overlooked by seed libraries more generally. Seed libraries could further these objectives by using seeds as a learning tool to engage the community and explore the systems behind food insecurity, climate change and environmental sustainability.

Seeds are a conversation starter, particularly when they seem out of place, such as in a library. Several respondents said that the seed library was strategically placed near the entrance to the library to welcome people and pique their interest. Once engaged, patrons can then connect with seeds by seeing, holding and reading about them. One interviewee noted,

“Even just looking at seeds, like the sight of them, how different they look and attempting to plant one—and probably in my case, killing them—all of this makes you more aware of the place around you.”

Environmental sustainability requires awareness and active engagement with green spaces, even if you kill a few plants in the learning journey. The act of growing connects you to the land and environment, and seeds can bring to mind that connection and the feelings that comes with it: joy at discovering new buds, disappointment to find wilted leaves. In all of this there is observation of the climate and how it impacts the natural world, which is an excellent starting place for conversations about climate change, resiliency and adaptation. It also opens the door to discussions on our food systems, like what we eat or where it came from and how that might impact us in different ways. Seeds should be planted, but until then they can be valued as educational tools in all stages of their life.

Stewardship in action

Two seed libraries that exemplify seed stewardship are the University of Winnipeg and the University of British Columbia’s X̱wi7x̱wa library. Both programs were intentional about the seeds they offered, and specifically mentioned that the seeds aimed to consider local cultural values. The University of British Columbia’s Education library is also considering implementing an Asian seed library that reflects the diversity of the branch’s patrons and provides seeds for vegetables traditionally used in Asian cuisines. This seed library illustrates the value of having seeds in an academic library: librarians have experience developing collections to meet the needs and interests of their patrons. If a seed library reflects the diversity of its patrons, it will have greater success reaching a wide range of community members.

Creating a library that is focused on seed stewardship is a model that takes a lot of time and labour, as explained by one of the organizers of the University of Winnipeg seed library. As a project started by undergrad students, the seed library was founded on seed saving as “an action and a tradition”, which is fundamentally different than the other seed libraries participating in this research. Patrons of the seed library received seed saving instructions, and the organizers offered workshops and events to educate people on seed saving. Seeds were categorized by easy, medium or hard to save. The concept of seed libraries as self-sustaining programs was paramount and shared with users, thus placing a high value on in a thoughtful way. For example, the informant shared that the library was giving out gete-okosomin seeds, a heritage squash stewarded by Indigenous people across North America, that a seed keeper had worked to bring back to Manitoba. People were excited to know that these uncommon seeds were available, and they understood how meaningful it was to receive the stewarded seeds, which conveys the power and importance of seed saving. Seeds can be a teaching tool that help to explain their own stewardship.

Another example of seed stewardship is the X̱wi7x̱wa library that prioritizes seeds that are locally grown (sometimes as close as the University of British Columbia farm) or that are important to Indigenous communities. Offering medicinal seeds revealed the need to initiate conversations with the university, for example around the legality of giving out tobacco seeds, that would not have occurred if the seed library was only offering store-bought seeds. The interviewee shared that a discussion was required about the difference between tobacco used for ceremony and for recreation purposes, and why this distinction mattered for the seed library:

“We're having these really important conversations that allow us, as Indigenous people, to maintain our culture and community through something like a seed lending program.”

Seed libraries are a venue for educating on the value of seeds—including to administration—and why access to seeds could be important to a community.

The X̱wi7x̱wa library is also exploring ways to talk about the value of seeds in a way that goes beyond food. Plants and fibres can be used for any number of purposes, and the sed librarian would like to promote the use of plants as medicine or tools, for example using berries and fungi to dye textiles. They are also considering making seed packets for patrons to grow their own medicines, through tea blends or salves. The X̱wi7x̱wa library initiatives are familiar to work being done by seed librarians in California, who work with local communities to ensure ceremonial and medicinal plant varieties are offered to patrons, and tribal libraries who provide plant parts for ceremonial use and regalia (Soleri, 2018). Initiatives such as these attract people to the library and build partnership opportunities, but more importantly support knowledge-transfer, learning and skill development in a multitude of ways while connecting people to plants.