I am the Wales Coordinator for the Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme, working with farmers and growers to build a more resilient seed system here in the UK. As part of this work I have founded a Wales-based seed-selling cooperative called the Wales Seed Hub and I facilitate the Llafur Ni network in which farmers work together to revive rare Welsh oats.

Currently, the UK seed system is built on unstable ground. With 75% of crop diversity lost in the last 100 years (UN FAO) and an estimated 80% of organic seed imported into the UK, it is imperative that we build a more resilient seed system as a foundation of a flourishing food system.

I see cooperation as the key to building a more sustainable seed system. The focus of my Fellowship is to explore how cooperative structures can transform the seed system in the UK. I will look at successful agricultural cooperatives in Bhutan, Nepal and North India and how they share resources (such as machinery), how they work together and how they distribute products collectively. This learning will be brought back to the UK to support fledgling seed cooperatives to distribute more diverse seeds.