News From the Field: 
Successful Seed School Held with New Partners in Cebu  


On February 23rd we held our first Seed School of the year with our new partners at the Cebu Organic Farmers Market . Our talented Country Manager, Karen and two Benguet Association of Seed Saver (BASS) Farmers  Ma'am Fely (an experienced organic farmer and facilitator) and Ma'am Anita (younger organic farmer and 1st time seed teacher) traveled to Cebu to lead this program. 

The program was sponsored and organized by the Cebu Organic Farmers Market and the Regional Department of Agriculture Office. There were over 40 participants in the training from a variety of organic farming groups and associations in the greater Cebu region including: Department of Agriculture Staff, members of the Cebu organic certification body, Slow Food Cebu Community members, and many organic farmers young and old. Karen shared that this was our best facilitated and most successful seed school to date. The participants were incredibly engaged and came eager to learn from the program and ready to implement what we taught.

The leader of the Cebu Organic Farmers Market Teresa D. Ruelas shared the following quote about the course:

" From a full day of understanding the harmful  destruction and disappearance of 
real food and the plight of our farmers in one of the most agriculturally rich countries in the world, of closely and carefully studying the nature and the ways seeds grow, propagate, are harvested and stored, and of passionate and feisty conversations about what we as farmers can do to bring back the timeless and sacred practice of raising, protecting, saving and sharing our precious wealth of seeds, the seed of a dream that many people in the room have held for a long time began to take root. In what felt like a blink of an eye, 40 of Cebu's most passionate farmers and gardeners gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to save and share seeds." - Teresa D. Ruelas 

We look forward to our continued collaborations with this energetic group including helping them launch their first Seed Library and conducting additional technical training programs with them in the coming months.  Thanks to our funders at LUSH Cosmetics North America for making this program possible through their financial support. 
Help Sustain Our Growing Work:
Become a Monthly Sustaining Donor Today!

In the last month we have received three request to host Seed Schools with new partners in the Philippines. As our impact grows we need your support to make this growth possible!  Becoming a monthly sustaining donor will enable us to reach these new communities with our high quality technical training programs and ensure more farmers have access to locally produced non-chemical seeds. Local seed production saves our farmers more than 50% of their annual income, over $100 annually! 

Monthly gifts also help us better manage cash flow and design more accurate month-to-month programing budgets. 

For just $25 a month your contribution will:

1) Support more farmers' access to high-quality technical training programs.
2) Establish new farmer owned and operated seed libraries. 

Our gaol is to get 25 people to sign-up as $25/monthly recurring donors in the next month. Monthly donations at other levels are also welcome! 

 All donors will receive a 15% discount code to Seed Trust, a Colorado seed  company focusing on high-altitude, heirloom, open-pollinated seeds. And, proudly show your support by wearing a Seed The Day button from our friends at SEED Brown County

       

Upcoming Events

4th Annual Film Screening: 
MODIFIED- A food lover's journey into GMO's
Thursday, April 26th 6pm-8pm 

Join us for our 4th Annual Film Screening Event. This year we are pleased to be
screening the feature-length  documentary-memoir, MODIFED . This film questions why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled on food products in Canada and the United States, despite being labeled in 64 other countries around the world. 

S hot over a  span of ten years, the film follows the grassroots struggle to label GMO foods, exposing the cozy relationship between the biotech industry and governments. The film is anchored in the moving story of the filmmaker's relationship to her mom, a prolific gardener, seed saver, and food activist who died of cancer while the film's production was underway. 

We are excited to have film maker Aube Giroux join us for a virtual post-screening Q&A. Discounted pre-sale t ickets can be purchased HERE and will  include light refreshments. 
Welcome New Intern: Jane Cavagnero

Join us in welcoming Jane to our team as the Events Marketing and  Communications Intern! 

Jane has a passion for keeping the communities surrounding farms and food strong. She has spent the last year and a half in Boulder working with a number of non-profits whose goal is to promote sustainable alternatives to industrial agriculture. She graduated from Colorado College with a degree in International Political Economy in 2016, and is looking forward to bringing her excitement about international development and sustainable food systems to Global Seed Savers. 

Her drive to learn more about the value of seed saving and the role it plays in traditional farming methods is what makes Jane so energetic about being a new member of the team. Welcome Jane! 
Global Seed Savers

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