From humble seed to organic hub

If you are keen on growing your own fruit and vegetables, and protecting biodiversity put visiting the Irish Seed Saver’s Association (ISSA), this at the top of your list right now.

If you are keen on growing your own fruit and vegetables, protecting biodiversity, saving seed, food heritage, food security and you have not yet heard of, or visited the Irish Seed Saver’s Association (ISSA), put this at the top of your list right now.

From humble beginnings in 1991, the ISSA has developed an incredible organic hub of food production, education, native woodlands, orchards and biodiversity on nine hectares in Scariff, Co Clare.

Its achievements are numerous, including a collection of 800 varieties of vegetable seeds, together with stories and study and research on Irish varieties, along with the construction of a new seed bank.

It has also built a potato barn and continues to breed, collect and increase stocks of Irish and other potatoes from all around the world, as well as establishing a research orchard containing all of our Irish heritage apple varieties, over 140 to date. The team at ISSA share their skills and knowledge on seed saving and other sustainable skills to thousands of children and adults through workshops, courses, camps and outreach programmes.

This shared knowledge and seed base means Ireland continues to have some control over its future food security in times of climate change and diminishing resources worldwide.

Increasingly the future of our food in Ireland is more and more insecure, partly because protective seed legislation has yet to be passed — and is a long way off. Unless we as a nation have the right to grow, save and share our own seed, we do not have food security.

Growing our own food and creating an Irish seed bank is one of the best long term investments for Ireland right now.

Sadly just two days after World Food Day on Oct 16, these quiet heroes, working to ensure Ireland’s food security, had to launch an urgent appeal to prevent closure.

Like many other organisations, ISSA has experienced severe cuts in grant aid and Department of Agriculture funding over the past couple of years and this, together with the economic downturn, has meant it’s now operating at an unsustainable level, financially.

This has led to a situation where ISSA is in dire financial straits and urgently needs to raise funds to ensure the survival of the organisation. The work is too important for Ireland to lose and organisations like this cannot function in ‘normal’ business terms. They have to rely on the good will of supporters and friends, on an on-going basis.

SEEDSAVERSUPPORT

HOW CAN YOU HELP ISSA SURVIVE?

¦ By making an emergency donation.

¦ By becoming a supporter or offering membership as a Christmas present. Membership of ISSA will provide pleasure in your garden and on your plate throughout the year.

For a mere €10 every three months, you can really make a difference and reap the yearly benefits including:

¦ 5 packs of organic seed

¦ 3 varieties of organic seed potatoes

¦ 10% off apple trees

¦ 10% off workshops

¦ 2 big informative newsletters, (summer and winter) with updates of ongoing projects

¦ Free admission to ISSA heritage gardens and orchards all year round.

¦ By joining ISSA you share in the task of conserving Ireland’s fruit, vegetables, grains and potatoes in a real and practical manner and contribute to the preservation of our biodiversity.

Time is running out for conserving these old varieties — once they are gone they are gone forever.

¦ By attending the events and workshops ISSA offers.

These include: seedsaving, orchard planning; growing your own veg; growing in polytunnels; wine making and building cob ovens.

¦ By shopping online at ISSA for all your gardening needs. All the stock is grown traditionally and organically and each tree and seed has its own history and story for you to keep for the next generation. Trees make the perfect present for christenings, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries Who in your life might enjoy a gift of seeds, trees or an annual membership this Christmas?

¦ For further information or to donate funds to ISSA, check out www.irishseedsavers.ie, write or call to Irish Seed Savers Association, Capparoe, Scarriff, Co. Clare, phone [phone] or email [e-mail]