Sowing Summer Surprises!

Hold onto your gardening gloves because in just a few days, we will be launching GSS’ surprise that will sprout the way we celebrate farmers, seeds, and our agricultural heritage. We've been nurturing this little secret with love and care, and we simply cannot wait to share it with our incredible community. Get ready to be inspired and join us on this extraordinary journey!



Be sure to check your emails on July 31st! 

Meet Our New Board Members in the Philippines and the US

We are thrilled to introduce the latest additions to our fantastic Philippines Board of Directors. Join us in giving a warm welcome to not one, not two, but three new Philippines Board Members. Each bringing a deep commitment to our mission and a diverse range of expertise that will continue to propel our impact forward.

Maria Buena Victoria T. Tenefrancia

Friends call her Beki and by her DNA, she is an educator/trainer and by heart, an environmentalist. She is currently leading Zero Waste Baguio Inc., an NGO whose mission is to serve as a catalyst of a social movement for a zero waste lifestyle.

Beki believes that it is important for humanity to care for the earth’s resources, thus her favorite quote comes from the John 6:12, “Gather the left-over, waste not.”

Robert Mansalo-on Cahapon

Robert is from the Manobo-Kulamanun indigenous community in Southern Bukidnon. He is an indigenous forester, certified permaculturist, organic farmer, visual storyteller, and environmental educator.

In 2022, he co-founded Salumayag Youth Collective for Forests. Growing up, he experienced firsthand the adverse impacts of land use change due to extractive industries. His favorite quote is, “In nature’s economy the currency is not money, it is life.” - Vandana Shiva

Dr. Belinda Tad-awan

Dr. Tad-awan is a researcher, academician, organic farming practitioner, and plant breeder.

As a researcher and plant breeder, she advocates genetic resource conservation of traditional crops (rice, legumes, coffee, cacao). She spearheaded the conservation of indigenous and underutilized crops such as heirloom rice and food legumes in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. “Flowers and fruit are only the beginning. In the seed lies the life and the future.” - Marion Zimmer Bradley

But wait, there's more! We also have an addition to our US Board, Jessica Mohr.

Hailing from the vibrant city of Seattle, WA Jessica is deeply committed to bridging the gap between technology and social impact, Jessica co-founded a tech-for-good startup focused on developing innovative solutions to address pressing social and environmental issues.

Read our new board members' full bios here >>>

Welcoming Two Post-Graduate Fellows from Princeton University In the Philippines

Introducing our dynamic duo, Mandy and Marissa, two incredible post-graduate fellows joining our Philippines team next month. As the inaugural recipients of this fully funded year-long ReachOut Paschen Pair Fellowship we are thrilled to have their energy, enthusiasm, and expertise join our team for the coming year.

Their primary output will be the creation of a mini-documentary film that details the story of our work, the traditions and practices of our partner farmers, and more.

Join us in welcoming Mandy and Marissa to the GSS Community!

Mandy Qua

Mandy is really excited to get to know and work with GSS staff and the our community partners. Through these connections, Mandy hopes to gain a better understanding of the agricultural scene of the Philippines and to learn more about the plants that are native to her home country. Mandy says GSS' mission resonates with her and she can’t wait to see and be a part of the work that GSS has been doing!

The main project that she will be working on is in collaboration with our other fellow Marissa. They will be creating a documentary for GSS that will feature local farmers who use Indigenous seed saving practices. Mandy and Marissa want to highlight stories of seed saving and relate it to our partner farmers’ cultures as well as showcase the work that we've been doing in relation to our model of participatory seed governance.

Read her full bio here>>



Marissa Mejia

Marissa is beyond excited to join the Global Seed Savers pamilya this upcoming year as she can apply the skills and knowledge she has gained in environmentalism, conservation, communications, filmmaking, and social psychology throughout the aforementioned experiences to learn about, support, and uplift traditional forms of agriculture in the Philippines.

She is particularly looking forward to meeting and learning from the diverse array of farmers that GSSP collaborates with and documenting their personal stories, traditional agricultural practices, and environmental sustainability efforts through film.

Read her full bio here>>

Seeds of Transformation:

New Video from the Binhi Project

We are excited to share the below video which emerged from our collaborative research project, "Ang Pagtanom Ug Binhi" the last two years led by Dr. Antonia R.G. Alvarez, PhD, LMSW at Portland State University School of Social Work.

This is a story of a seed. A seed that represents an idea, a research project with community engagement focusing on community food sovereignty. Ang Pagtanom Ug Binhi, or the Binhi Project, is a project that focuses on telling stories like this one—stories of seeds—and the ways that seeds can impact our systems, our structures, and our selves. The Binhi project tells stories about food sovereignty and health in the Philippines, and like every resilient seed, has grown and changed with the seasons of the work. This project is a community-based collaboration including Portland State University School of Social Work, Global Seed Savers and Global Seed Savers Philippines, and Communities for Alternative Food Ecosystems Initiative (CAFE-i).

The video below was created by Jane Eden Hartle, MSW, Portland State University School of Social Work.