Michael Washburn
Linda Hall Library and the Kansas City Public Library
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 12:00 pm EST
Online via Zoom.
This program will be presented virtually via Zoom webinar in partnership with the Kansas City Public Library-Central Library.
Heirloom seeds serve as a historical record of human intentions to nourish and feed one another. These seeds carry traits that various cultures have selected for over time. Seed selection based on flavor, heat or cold tolerance, disease resistance, and a variety of other properties grown in a large range of locations make heirloom seeds unique. Preserving this biodiversity is necessary to maintain the traits and potential adaptability associated with these seeds as we face extreme fluctuations in climate and growing conditions across the globe.
Seed Savers Exchange uses both on site farm grow outs as well as a community participatory model to maintain the genetic diversity of our open pollinated collection of heritage garden crops stored in our seed bank. By involving a community of growers from around the country in our preservation efforts we are continuing the task of adapting garden crops to thrive in particular regions. Climate change poses new challenges that can be offset by actively selecting for desirable traits, not simply in isolated experimental plots, but out in the backyards and fields of our larger active gardening and seed saving community.
The Speaker:
Michael Washburn
Preservation Director, Seed Savers Exchange
Michael Washburn serves as the Preservation Director at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa where they maintain a collection of 20,000 plus varieties of heritage garden seeds and apples. The Preservation Department works to educate about the importance of preserving biodiversity through seed stewardship and provide programming and other opportunities that engage gardeners, farmers, seed savers, and breeders with their collection.
Michael is a long-time seed saver who focuses on southern US and Middle Eastern varieties. Much of his work through time has focused on diverse organic farming systems and traditional farming practices.