Agrarian Sharing Network Seed Increase Initiative.
And A Collaboration With The Cascadia Seed Guild
The Seed Increase Initiative was launched by the Agrarian Sharing Network (ASN) in 2023, spearheaded by Nick Routledge. This initiative focuses on increasing the availability of diverse, locally adapted seeds through collaborative efforts with volunteer growers. By mid-2023, the initiative had already made significant progress with seed increases in isolated populations of several key summer crops, including tomatoes, corn, beans, amaranth, quinoa, and various Cucurbit species.
The Seed Increase Initiative emphasizes the importance of both summer and winter crops. For winter, the focus is on crops requiring vernalization, such as Brassica species (kales, cabbages, etc.), which need prolonged cold periods to induce flowering. ASN has been distributing seeds and providing transplants from their nursery in Cottage Grove, Oregon, to support growers in these efforts. This approach aims to secure a regenerative local food system by ensuring a continuous supply of diverse and resilient plant varieties.
The initiative also encourages community involvement through events like propagation fairs and seed exchanges, fostering a decentralized network focused on distributing plant diversity to friends and neighbors. These efforts are part of ASN's broader mission to create a shareable, reproducible model for others to implement, emphasizing that it's as much about the plants as it is about the people.
These are the planned dates for the 2025 Propagation events which are well worth attending:
Williams, Oregon: Sunday, 03/02
Cottage Grove: Saturday, Oregon 03/08 12-4pm
Corvallis, Oregon: Saturday, 03/15
Eugene, Oregon: Saturday 03/22
Florence Area, Oregon: Saturday 03/29
Springfield, Oregon: Saturday 04/05
Oakridge, Oregon: Sunday 04/06
Cascadia Seed Guild
The Cascadia Seed Guild was formed during a tour of late 2023 by Joe Brewer who wrote the book “The Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth”. In 2024 there was a working relationship formed between the Agrarian Sharing Network (ASN) and the Cascadia Seed Guild to support the ASN Propagation Fairs, as shown above.
If you're interested in participating or learning more about the Seed Increase Initiative, you can reach out to ASN at seed@agrariansharing.net.