The Seed Network of Sardinia, formerly the Seed House, was born as a collective and self-managed project to safeguard biodiversity through soil- and people-friendly agriculture. The project was inspired by a common need that emerged during an assembly of Genuino Clandestino Sardegna in 2016 that encompassed years of reflection and ideas. Since then, as a constantly evolving open and horizontal group, we have met regularly to pursue our goals through direct participatory practices. Initially, as we are spread all over Sardinia, we chose a central place where we could converge and feel at home: it was the small town of Domusnovas Canales, a few kilometres from Ghilarza. In January 2023, the Seed Network inaugurated its new headquarters in Nuoro and the contact person is Maurizio Fadda.
Our main objective was to embark on a path of food self-determination, in such a way as to disregard dynamics based solely on profit, and to bring agriculture back to the forefront guided by the idea that “eating is an agricultural act” (Wendell Berry). We want to experiment with alternative and horizontal forms of sociality, to give life to practices that restore autonomy to individuals, peoples and territories. We are committed to spreading the practice of exchanging self-grown seeds on the territory so that the genetic selection of cultivated varieties becomes participatory again instead of being imposed by multinationals that are distant from our needs. All this to overcome the absurd pretense of uniformity because we believe that variety is essential for life and it is life itself that proves this to us.
The Seed Network therefore wants to be an instrument of socio-economic change: from a situation of abandonment and marginality that have characterised the Sardinian countryside in recent decades, we want to move on to a development based on the revaluation of the territory (where territory means first and foremost agriculture).
Every year the Seed Network celebrates the approach of Spring and the horticultural season by creating an opportunity to share the seeds we have put together, exchange new knowledge, as well as trade, sell and donate self-productions. The entire event is dedicated to people passionate about saving seeds who want to exchange knowledge on how to preserve and improve the genetics of their seeds using participatory methods, and network to exchange seeds, plants, help and information.
The free dissemination of self-grown seeds and their cultivation while respecting their ecosystem are the fundamental principles behind our efforts.
In order to join the network as a seed donor, you will have to commit to taking care of and observing them for at least three years, keeping a record of their characteristics. This will allow us to archive these characteristics in order to pass them on to those who ask for them in the future. Each seed has unique features, although some of them are common to the varieties of each family. Consequently, a systematic study is very useful for our purposes.
If you would like to request seeds to take charge of their cultivation, multiplication and dissemination, you will receive a descriptive sheet and must fill in a return form with your comments. We also request that you return more seeds to the Seed Network than you have received.
You can find information sheets on the seed reproduction process at this link https://casadeisemi.noblogs.org/riproduciamo-i-semi-ecco-come/