This is a CTP of initiative: Shareable‐ ShareBloomington (USA)
This CTP (CTP6) consist of The forming of a seed library in ShareBloomington (this was still in progress at the time of the interview, May 2016).
Seed libraries are a type of agricultural commons where gardeners and farmers can borrow and share seed varieties, to enrich their biodiversity and nutrition. The concept of seed libraries has sprouted up across the U.S. in recent years, as more Americans seek connection to food and the land. This new variety of seed sharing has blossomed from just a dozen libraries in 2010 to more than 300 today (ShareBloomington, 2015).
As it is mentioned on the website of Shareable, seed libraries offer a profound alternative to the corporate takeover of seeds, which, according to the non-profit group named ECT (Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration) has reached frightful proportions: just three firms control more than half of the worldwide seed business (more than doubling their 22% share in 1996), while the top ten corporations now occupy 76 percent of the global market. For more information, see ECT website: http://www.etcgroup.org/about.
Establishing the seed Library is a project that is still in progress at ShareBloomington. However it is considered as a critical turning point because it is considered highly valuable for the growth of shareable. As Ryan states: “Shortly after the TimeBank idea came up, the idea of a seed library came up, and that added just one more piece of momentum to ShareBloomington” (Ryan).
Since the idea of the seed library came up, Ryan and others at Bloomington have not been very active in making the seed library function, due to state regulations (see more in section contestation). However, all the tools and the seeds, which are needed for the seed library are present: “We have a building that we share with other projects and so we had these large old library card catalogues that we bought. We are going to use those for the seed library” (Andrea). The plan is to use this furniture to categorize the different sort if seeds.
The seed library in Bloomington is co-produced, or rather in the process of being co-produced by two factors.
Firstly, the seed library is partly co-produced by an agreement with Mother Hubbard Cupboard. Mother Hubbard Cupboard is a direct connection between corporate control and the seed-sharing movement. As Kristina Hubbard explains on the Shareable website: “I think community-based projects like seed libraries are at least in part a direct response to concerns people have about who controls our seed. “It’s a necessary response, as seed industry consolidation continues and is increasing the vulnerability of our seed and food systems. We need more decision makers in the form of seed stewards, and more resiliency in our seed and food systems.” (For more information see: http://www.shareable.net/blog/seed-libraries-fight-for-the-right-to-share)
According to Andrea, the connection with Mother Hubbard Cupboard has made it possible for ShareBloomington to be more effective with their seed library: “We signed a memorandum of understanding with them, like we gave them one of our seed libraries, so that we could partner and they owe us to spread these pieces of furniture for the seed library around the town at different locations. So, that was a network that helped us to get the seeds everywhere in town.”
Even though the agreement is made between ShareBloomington and Mother Hubbard Cupboard, they have not got to that point yet to make the seed library actually operate.
Another factor that made the idea of the seed library happen in practice is the fund that Ryan received from his professor in order to organize the ShareFest (see CTP 1). With that money Ryan and Andrea managed to purchase the seed library furniture: “So, what happened at Shareable, is that this professor told Ryan: Look, I have, 4000 dollars that I can give to you to organize some events and so the event basically was that we used most of the money to buy a lot of materials. And the seed library furniture was part of it” (Andrea).
Thus, this CTP is partly co-produced by the connection that ShareBloomington made with Mother Hubbard Cupboard, and partly by the fund they received from Ryan’s professor.
Seed libraries have emerged to protect the food sources and ensure access to locally adapted and heirloom varieties. The public’s access to seeds has been decreasing since a 1980 Supreme Court ruling that seeds could be patented. Since then, big seed companies have shifted away from open-pollinated seeds to patented hybridized and genetically engineered varieties. The companies prohibit farmers from saving and replanting such seeds, requiring that they buy new seeds each year. Counter to this trend, seed libraries give members free seeds and request that members later harvest seeds and give them back to the library thereby growing the pool of seeds available to everyone (Shareable website, 2016).
As Andrea stated “It is not ours. The idea of a seed library, well the small ones are probably our idea, like having a small one at your house. But the big ones, I mean, this is a movement that has been growing I think probably everywhere and in the US in particular.” She continues: “We like the idea so much, that we decided that we wanted to have like an actual seed library.”
As it appears from the interview, the changing food policy in the United States has been the main reason for ShareBloomington (and many others) to start a seed library. Even though it still seems challenging to start a seed library officially, ShareBloomington is willing to do whatever it takes to make this project work. Mainly because they believe that this project can help a big group of people in Bloomington with food supply.
The contestation within the concept of the seed library is related to economic and regulatory challenges.
The concept of a seed library is very popular and getting more and more popular in the United States and other parts of the world. However, all this seed-sharing love is butting up against some prodigious economic and regulatory challenges. As the libraries spread across the US, they are catching scrutiny from agriculture officials in states such as Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Iowa, who express concerns about unlabelled seed packets, and the spreading of contaminated seeds and noxious or invasive species. One flashpoint in this battle is a small seed library in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, which ran into a regulatory dispute with the state’s department of agriculture. Last June, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture informed an employee of the Joseph T. Simpson Public Library that its seed library ran afoul of state seed laws and would have to shut down or follow exorbitant testing and labelling rules intended for commercial seed enterprises. And so the library was forced to limit its sharing.
See more about this subject the Shareable website: http://www.shareable.net/blog/seed-libraries-fight-for-the-right-to-share
As Andrea expresses: “It has been very controversial, because of some law that has been interpreted in weird ways and so the state in Pennsylvania where people have been sued for these seed libraries. So, that part of the reason why we have not completely jumped into it, because we do need to first talk at least to the local government and see if anything came up, would they back us up, because we do not want to be sued or anything”.
Andrea emphasizes that they do not want to go public before they are sure that the seed library will not be sued. She explains that the agreement with the organization Mother Hubbard Cupboard will not protect them against these regulatory processes: “Mother Hubbard Cupboard does not have problems, because they have not done it very publicly. I mean, this is a space where people who are under a certain line of poverty come and they have access to food and they have workshops for them, like canned food and preserved food and things like that. But it is not something that is like widely advertised”.
The development of this project is definitely anticipated. Also, it is foreseen that it might cause difficulties regarding the regulatory aspects in town. As explained before, ShareBloomingotn is aware of the changing food policy. They are also aware that the seed library is defined as illegal in Pennsylvania, because the seeds are not labelled. However, as it appears from the interview, it is noticed that each state is considered different from each other. This makes it harder to know exactly what will happen when ShareBloomington starts a seed library. The reason for this is also because many other states have a seed library and are not sued yet. This makes it harder to anticipate whether the seed library in Bloomington will cause problems. As it appears from the interview, Andrea does not consider state regulations regarding the seed library in Bloomington as a challenge yet, because they have not tried to go public yet with the seed library. However, she explains that: “We are aware that there are problems, and we know it could potentially be a challenge” (Andrea).
In conclusion, it is hard to anticipate whether this project can be a success in Bloomington or not. The fact that the seed library in Pennsylvania is sued, does make the community or Shareable aware of certain challenges. However it does not stop them.
This CTP does not consist of much learning, because the seed library is not operating yet. However, it can be said that ShareBloomington made use of the experiences of the seed library in Pennsylvania, as they are trying to get in touch with the Bloomington government, before they actually start with the seed library.
According to Ryan, it might be helpful to talk with the government of Bloomington, as the major of the states has changed recently. In contrast to the former Major, who was very conservative, the recent mayor appears to be more progressive.
As Ryan states: “I think that part of the case is that the city government that was in place last year when we first did ShareFest, it was a very kind of paranoid government because the mayor he had been mayor for like twelve years and he kept a very tight control of information coming in and out of the city. He kept tight control over his staff and so they were very nervous about new things. But last year, there was an election and so, you know, we had dinner-parties with both of the candidates and we are friends with the candidate that won and he is very favourable towards these kind of projects.”
Ryan emphasizes with much enthusiasm that the Shareable projects in Bloomington are developing easier because of the new mayor: “With this mayor we can probably just send him an e-mail and go to his office and be like: Can you change this please? And he'll be like: Yeah. So that is the difference”.
Thus, the learning point of this CTP is related to contestation within the project seed library. As they community of ShareBloomington is known among the municipality employees, it makes it easier to discuss the project. And they are certainly planning to do so.
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