The Citizens’ Seed Centre

The Citizens’ Seed Centre

Who are we?
La Maison des Semences Citoyennes is an independent, not-for-profit and locally-based initiative, run by amateur gardeners and small-scale farmers. Our mission is to keep traditional varieties of cultivated plants alive by propagating, conserving, using and exchanging their seeds, year after year.

Our seeds
We work with traditional varieties, both heritage and contemporary. They are the result of in situ selection, naturally reproducible, capable of evolving and adapting to their local environment, and free from any intellectual property rights (neither PGRFA nor patents). These seeds link the past, the present and the future.

How do we work?
We maintain a living seed collection. Our members grow non-hybrid varieties in their natural environment, generation after generation, so that they continue to adapt and evolve. The seeds are stored in small batches in people’s homes and, where possible, at a central location. They circulate within the region and beyond through exchanges. We also organise workshops, training sessions and regular meetings, and document our work (cultivation diary, photos, library, database).

Why it is important
To preserve diversity. In the 20th century, 75 per cent of the diversity of local varieties disappeared (FAO, 1999). Seed banks and the seed industry cannot replace the hands-on work of gardeners and farmers who develop these varieties in their local environments. The FAO recognises this local diversity as the foundation of sustainable and resilient agriculture and long-term food security.

Supporting local and ecological agriculture. Diversified, family-run and community-based agriculture relies on local, reproducible seeds that are suited to ecological practices. Every citizen can play their part.

Strengthening food autonomy. Free and reproducible seeds are the basis of seed sovereignty. Through them, local agriculture and individual gardens can have an impact far beyond our borders.