Adam Alexander - The Seed Detective
In this Offshoot episode we dive into the fascinating world of seeds with Adam Alexander — the Seed Detective. Adam has just published a new book called The Accidental Seed Heroes. Researching it has taken him around the world and in this conversation he shares his passion for and curiosity about seeds.
Adam Alexander
From seed saving to plant breeding this conversation explores how ordinary growers have become accidental heroes, preserving biodiversity and therefore, Adam argues - food security. He explains the importance of ‘Adaptive’ plants or populations of plants that are genetically diverse and able to respond to biotic and abiotic stresses over time, meaning they are adapting to our changing climate.
Adam has spent time in Albania and Ethiopia meeting the farmers who have been saving seeds for generations and asks what we can learn from them. He says:
“I sit at the feet of these traditional indigenous farmers. They have forgotten more than I will ever know about crop growing. And what I really discover from, from them is, first of all, their expertise. They are highly, highly skilled, they're hugely knowledgeable and they are brilliant survivors. And that is a lesson for all of us.
And although they grow modern cultivars to sell in the market, actually the ones that matter to them that they keep for their family, which they survive on, are those farmers varieties that they and their families and their predecessors have been maintaining for generations.”
Episode Highlights
The surprising journey of a Portugese pepper seeds
How seed saving became a personal and political act
Why genetic diversity matters for our future food supply
What seed banks do
The importance of farmers and gardeners, in keeping heritage varieties alive
Other seed sellers that Adam recommended:
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