Seed Symposium 2026 – Sizzling with Emerging Ideas for Our Community Seed System

Written by our Guiding Elder, Shiela Dobie This event was a collaboration between the Salt Spring Seed Sanctuary Society, Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust, and Island Natural Growers.

On Sunday, February 22, over 30 people gathered at the Farmers Institute to learn about and explore the rich complexities, threats, and new directions for our community seed system.

Many of us “save seeds” from our gardens and farms. This increases our resilience in local food systems, supports regional adaptation in the seeds themselves, opens another product line for local market farms, and builds community among seed savers and those seeking access to local seeds.

It’s a rich web of connection, knowledge sharing, and food sovereignty—and this is what we immersed ourselves in at the Seed Symposium.

There was too much shared to give you the full meal deal, but here are some highlights, along with links to go deeper:

Community seed systems exist at the periphery of formal seed regulations, making seed saving a (vulnerable) privilege instead of a right. This has implications for our food sovereignty, especially alongside deregulation around gene editing.

See this presentation by Lisa Willot from FarmFolk CityFolk:

Click Here to See the Presentation

And the important work of La Via Campesina...

Visit: La Via Campesina

We explored the nature of seed banks—how they function and how they serve communities. We also discussed the role of seed stewards and how this can strengthen our local seed bank and broader seed system. Stay tuned for opportunities for mentors and mentees in seed saving that will directly benefit our local seed bank.

Bejay Mills gave a presentation on seed cleaning equipment available for scaling up production.

Participants were then put to work in breakout groups exploring the following themes:

A Distributed Community Seed Bank A regional exploration of our community seed system, including connections with nearby communities through seed sharing.

Seed Steward Mentorship Model We explored how to shape seed stewardship so it is successful for mentors, mentees, and the broader community seed supply.Heads up: this will be the main action emerging from the Symposium in the short term—activating this idea into a pilot project.

Compilation of Seed Varieties for Stewardship A list of 30 food and medicinal seed varieties was identified, along with considerations for wildcrafting and nutritional value.

Seed Cleaning Equipment We explored what is currently available on Salt Spring Island, what can be accessed through FarmFolk CityFolk, and what additional resources are needed. This included discussions on storage, accessibility, maintenance, and potential equipment-sharing models.

All in all, a rich day!

If you’re interested in learning more or getting involved, join us at upcoming Seed Bank Open Days this spring: April 12 and May 10, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at The Root Food Hub (189 Beddis Road). A Seed Sanctuary representative will be there.

We thank the Knowledge Transfer Program from the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food for supporting this event.