An introduction in the context where the shop is shown.
The Seed Exchange Bank is a small initiative in favour of de-centralizing control of seeds and a way of questioning the management models we generate or form a part of in culture and life. Its mission is not preservation
but rather exchanging seeds and the knowledge related to them. Recovering, producing and sharing seeds that are able to reproduce, and which are adapted to our climate. The Seed Exchange Bank and
its activities are for everyone who works with seeds, directly or as a metaphor for the need to transform our society.
Background
Since the dawn of agriculture, a number of crops have been chosen which are the basis for feeding the world today. Currently there are three types of seeds: wild; organic; and hybrid or transgenic. Wild seeds are found in nature; organic seeds are the result of a selection of the best wild seeds, a traditional selection based on experience over the years, choosing the highest yielding natural varieties. High yield seeds, whether hybrid or a transgenic, are seeds modified genetically (via genetic laboratory or experimental hybridization) to get the highest yield in any climate or situation. To get the media, certain biotechnological products are needed that are
manufactured by the same food industry corporations. These seeds are designed to produce grain for only one season. They are patented with rights reserved to the corporations who conceived of them.
High yield seeds require an enormous amount of production. However, if the world economy and agricultural subsistence is based on the biotechnology of large transnational companies which control practically all of the world’s food, that results in the destruction of small scale farmers’ traditional lifestyle and a nation’s food sovereignty is at risk.
Proposal
The Seed Exchange Bank is a proposal by the Ecosecha, the Madrid cooperative and voluntary organization, engaged in production, training and education related to organic agriculture, and Intermediæ, the contemporary creation centre located at Matadero Madrid, open to collaborating with other agents who wish to take part in its definition process. At this time, with the idea of growing gradually, the proposal consists of creating a first prototype of the Seed Exchange Bank, to be dynamized through a series of gatherings and event days for exchanges, to bring those interested in the project together from their different jobs and disciplines. The Seed Exchange Bank will be held at the Terrario at Intermediæ, a space open to the public specifically created as a meeting place for gathering, studying, Internet access through Wi-Fi, attending presentations, reading daily newspapers, consulting the library, etc.
