January 2023
2022 Impact Report, Now Available!
2022 was another fruitful year for Global Seed Savers.
Some of the highlights of our work include:

  • Conducted six (6) in-person seed schools, and three (3) virtual seed schools which were attended by 175 participants.
  • We facilitated a 3-day seed school teacher training (SSTT) graduating (7) new seed school teachers.
  • Our seed production site at Arapal produced 13 new varieties of seeds.
  • Received our largest grant $35,000 to propel our work forward in 2023.
Download the full 2022 Impact Infographic via our website.
Organizational Updates
Karen Lee Hizola, Philippines Executive Director is stepping away from the organization
after 7 years of leadership.
Karen joined GSSP in 2016 and has been instrumental in our growth, development, and success over the last seven years. She led the expansion of our programs from our founding community in Tublay, Benguet to regions throughout the Philippines. In particular, leading our strategic growth and partnership development into her home community of Cebu.

Karen also adapted, designed, and implemented an improved curriculum of our signature training program, Seed School and Seed School Teacher Training, bringing cultural design, awareness, and improved teaching methods to our partners.

During her tenure with the organization, she had the opportunity to travel and represent GSSP around the globe: including a trip to our US headquarters in Denver, Colorado for Seed School and serving as the keynote at our Annual Nourish Celebration in 2018, speaking at the ECHO Asia Impact Center conference in Thailand in 2019, and most recently representing GSSP at the FAO ITPGRFA Treaty in New Delhi, India in September 2022. 

“Karen has been the ideal trusted partner and co-leader these last seven years. Her personal style and heart-centered leadership have been key to our success and growth during her tenure! Without her commitment, passion, and hard work, Global Seed Savers Philippines would not be the thriving organization it is today. Karen has left a permanent mark on the organization and each of us, and while we are sad to see her go, we wish her well in all her future endeavors and hope she will remain a strong supporter of GSSP.” 

Shares, Sherry Manning, Founder and US Executive Director.
A Message from Karen
to the Global Seed Savers Community
"...My life has genuinely become deeper, more meaningful, and more colorful because of my interactions with the farmers we work with, my teammates, my colleagues, and my friends. I look to the horizon and try to see all possibilities, and my heart is assured that this is not the last time our paths will cross. That’s the reassurance of knowing that our work is not yet done. There will be future projects, collaborations, and advocacies that will call us together again.

Thank you for every smile, every hug, every seed planted, lesson learned, story entrusted, confidence shared, and help given. I am stepping away from GSSP but I am not extricating myself from the warp and weft that bind us in this beautiful tapestry we have created together."

To get updates about our work and our events make sure to follow our social media accounts: