Seed Swaps
2nd ANNUAL OZARK SEED SWAP TO PRESERVE
AND DISTRIBUTE TRADITIONAL SEED VARIETIES
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS, CONWAY, ARKANSAS –Co-sponsored by the Ozark Folk Center State Park and the University of Central Arkansas, the Conserving Arkansas’s Agricultural Heritage (CAAH!) Project will host the second annual Ozark Seed Swap on February 21st, 2009 at the Ozark Folk Center State Park Bois D' Arc Conference Center. Last year was a huge success, with over one hundred seed savers in attendance and hundreds of heirloom varieties exchanging hands. We are excited to invite you to bring some seeds and stories to swap with other Ozark seed savers and yarn spinners. If you have no seeds to swap but want to get started, come along to mingle with gardeners and farmers who can help. We can conserve the heritage of Arkansas while we share good stories, beautify our yards, and of course, get free seeds. Refreshments and music (a pickin’) will be provided.
WHAT: 2nd Annual Ozark Seed Swap
WHEN: February 21, 2009, 12-3PM
WHERE: Ozark Folk Center Bois D' Arc Conference Center, Mountain View, Arkansas. 870-269-3851 1032 Park Ave Mountain View, AR 72560, US
WHO: University of Central Arkansas Sociology Department and Humanities and World Cultures Institute partnering with the Ozark Folk Center State Park and any interested farmers and gardeners
WHY: Arkansas farmers and gardeners have a legacy of heirloom seeds that are in danger of being lost, and sharing of seeds will encourage production of diverse varieties for posterity.
HOW IT WORKS: Anyone can bring seeds to swap or share. University students will assist Dr. Campbell in saving a master set to distribute for the next season and keeping a database of local varieties. If you would like to join in the pickin’, bring a musical instrument.
COST: None.
Got Whippoorwills? Razorbacks? Red Rippers? Pencil Cob? Hickory King? Greasebacks? Turkey Craws? Want some? Come to the Old-Timey Ozark Seed Swap
The results of the this project will be the collection of information on endangered seeds, promotion of a seed sharing resource, rejuvenation of traditional Ozark seed swaps and passing on of seeds (as is being encouraged by the University of Georgia's Southern Seed Legacy), study of the feasibility of expanding consumer-supported agricultural systems, and publication of results of the study in anthropological journals and the popular press. As for the latter, there is much interest in subjects related to the American diet and food production methods (see best-sellers by Michael Pollan, OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA and BOTANY OF DESIRE, Frances Moore Lappe's HOPE'S EDGE, and Eric Schlosser's FAST FOOD NATION). The importance of global seed saving is also being increasingly recognized and popularized (see John Seabrook's article "Sowing for Apocalypse" in the August 27, 2007 edition of THE NEW YORKER). An anthropological study will add to the growing literature a further appreciation of just how important preserving traditional knowledge can be for human posterity and even survival. For more information on the project, our website address is: http://www.arkansasagro.wordpress.com
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