Our UK and Ireland Seed Sovereignty Programme is at the forefront of restoring biodiversity and resilience to our seed system.

To date we have trained 580 people in beginner, intermediate and advanced seed skills; Supported 19 new growers to produce veg seed commercially, making more diversity available to all; Nurtured 62 new community growers to produce their own veg seed and grain; and supported 100 growers to grow 276 new varieties from seed, both commercially and at community level.

Food and seed sovereignty go hand in hand with regenerative agricultural practices such as composting, water harvesting and polyculture (diversity of crops), often referred to as agroecology. Agroecological approaches to food growing are key for climate change resilience as they sequester carbon, cooling the planet rather than contributing to climate change. This approach is completely juxtaposed to the industrial agriculture system which generates vast amounts of greenhouse gases, is the driver of landgrabbing globally, destroys and pollutes biodiverse habitats, keeps animals in appalling conditions and places profit before all else.

Gaia is proud to work with small, family farmers globally, supporting diverse, local, agroecological farming practices. It is these farmers who feed over 70% of the global population, on a quarter of the land.

By offering trainings in reviving indigenous seed diversity and knowledge, by facilitating immersive community processes such as dialogues, eco-cultural mapping and calendars, and through strategic advocacy collaboration, we support communities to regain confidence in their traditional knowledge and their indigenous seed varieties. We promote peer-to-peer, farmer-to-farmer exchanges, encouraging communities to link up with others doing the same.

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