For thousands of years, humans have had a deep relationship with seeds. Seeds are our ancestors. They carry life, culture and memory. But today, the situation is drastically changing. Across Africa and the world, the corporate capture of agriculture is threatening native seeds and the communities who have nurtured them for generations.
In this inspiring and enlightening episode of Black Earth Podcast, Marion speaks with Mashudu Takalani of the EarthLore Foundation about seed sovereignty. Together, they explore:
🌱 Why seeds are essential to life on Earth
🌍 How Indigenous communities in Southern Africa are restoring traditional seed stewardship
💡 The impacts of corporate agriculture on food systems and culture
👩🏾🌾 The role of African women and youth as guardians of seed
🔥 How seed stewardship builds resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss
🌾 Daily practices we can all adopt to honour seeds and support food sovereignty
This is a conversation about protecting biodiversity, reviving Indigenous knowledge, and reclaiming our relationship with the seeds that sustain us.
🎧 Listen and subscribe to Black Earth wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
📲 Connect and collaborate with Mashudu Takalani and EarthLore Foundation https://earthlorefoundation.org/about-us/
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💌 Connect with Black Earth team for partnerships, speaking and media requests: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/contactus
Episode timestamps
00:00 Intro to episode and why we are talking about seeds
02:37 Mashudu’s relationship with nature
04:00 Why seeds are vital to life on Earth
08:00 How Mashudu accompanies communities in Southern Africa to restore their Indigenous seeds and ways of life
13:07 The impacts of the corporate capture of agriculture
16:40 Seed is culture
17:39 Building resilience to climate change and nature loss through seed stewardship
22:40 African women and youth as seed stewards
28:00 How to bring stewardship of seeds back into the hands of small scale farmers and communities
33:00 How we can start or continue to honour the role of seeds in our daily lives
36:42 How to support Mashudu and Black Earth