Mother Seeds in Resistance

They wanted to bury us, but they forgot that we were seeds.

Mother Seeds in Resistance / Sme’tsunubil ta shekel Yu’um is a collaborative project to share diverse seeds and plants with Zapatista and indigenous communities in Chiapas to support them in their struggle against climate change and COVID-19.

We are honored to be joined in this effort by DESMI (Social Economic Development of Indigenous Mexicans) who brings 50 years of experience in accompanying solidarity economies, women’s advancement, and agroecology processes. In early May, 2021, the Schools for Chiapas team met with DESMI in a weekend workshop to set the collaboration in motion.

As the respective collectives meet with communities, they will take seed orders for everything from annual food crops, to perennial herbs to grafted trees. The recipients agree to reproduce theses seeds/plants and to share with their neighbors and extended families. This community-led, farmer-to-farmer effort is more than just a seed bank- it is a seed movement!

Zapatista agroecology promoters and international supporters

Mother Seeds in Resistance is a decades-old education and organizing effort which strengthens traditions of seed sharing even as it invents new ways of doing so in communities around the world.
You can read more about Mother Seeds in Resistance in this chapter.

The idea for Mother Seeds in Resistance 1.0 came into existence 20 years ago as a global lending library of GMO-free landraces of corn donated by Zapatista farmers in Chiapas to farmers & families in the far corners of the planet. Today, Zapatista corn grows, giving health and life to farmers’ families across 6 continents. And in 2021, the next generation of Mother Seeds in Resistance will bring seeds, plants and agroecology resources back into Zapatista rebel territory- where they will multipy and thrive.

Today, Mother Seeds in Resistance continues as an expression of gratitude and hope protecting the central sources of life and diversity under the care of those most capable of defending this vital resource – small farmers, most of whom are indigenous women.

Holding the seeds of resistance
A Zapatista campesino holds the seeds of resistance in his palms.

Your support as a volunteer or a donor sows a bountiful harvest, provides natural medicines, and protects endangered water sources. Please give a Gift of Change to Mother Seeds in Resistance today! GiftsofChange.org

Join us today as we renew our committment to defense of seeds, autonomy and life! Seeds belong forever to the people!

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