Rowen White on Reseeding The Food System
In uncertain times, people turn to gardening.
This year, we see similar trends as during the pandemic: boreal springtime coincides with major uncertainties in the world, and seed sales are skyrocketing. As gardeners and soon-to-be-gardeners welcome the spring, we often dream of the future harvest in terms of food. Long-term resilience, local food systems, and connection with place is about more than harvesting just vegetables and fruits. During the garden planning, we also need to consider and plan for seed saving as a key practice.
Rowen White, is a seedkeeper and founder of Sierra Seeds and the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network. Rowen is one of the central people behind so many seedkeeping projects in indigenous and non-indigenous communities. Her work has helped spur seed rematriation—the returning of indigenous seeds from seed banks and to indigenous hands.
In this interview, Rowen shares her story of encountering seeds and of how the work of seedkeeping has been an ongoing process of reorienting and “restorying of [her] life though seeds and food.” Whether or not you’re a gardener, you rely on a healthy seed system as a foundation of food systems. Rowen is one of the most respected voices on the work that needs to be done to re-localize food systems and revitalize the deep spiritual connection between people and our seeds.