Last month, one of the newest members of the LFSB steering group, Sam Rudy, visited Aleka Haziak, a seed production company in the Basque Country that focuses on preserving local varieties of open pollinated, true to type seeds. He met with Kelo, the founder of Aleka, at his own farm in Beizama, where he showed Sam around and told him a bit more about the work they do. This was his report:
Aleka represents a network of farmers across the Basque Country who are dedicated to producing, saving and distributing seeds of local varieties. By working together, they are able to maintain and promote a diverse collection of seeds that are well suited to the growing conditions of the Basque Country. Their production is also organic, and their seed is sold directly to farmers and hobbyists alike, thus promoting food and seed sovereignty.
I sat with Kelo over coffee and chatted about all things seed, from their efforts to prevent the loss of biodiversity caused by the uniformity of today’s industrial seed production, to the difficulties encountered in protecting seed varieties from big corporations claiming them as their own and the ways in which they do so. He also gave me a tour of the place and showed me their seedbank and the spaces they use to dry and clean the seed before it gets packaged.
Overall, Aleka’s work to preserve traditional seed varieties through a network of farmers is an inspiring example of the importance of seed sovereignty and sustainable agriculture practices. Their commitment to biodiversity and natural methods of seed production and saving is a formidable contribution to the larger movement to protect our food supply and the environment at large.
Find out more about Aleka’s work at their website https://www.aleka.eus/
