Bloody Marvels: In Situ Seed Saving and Intergenerational Malleability.

Area of Science:

• Ethnographic research
• Environmental studies
• Agricultural science
• Sociology

Background:

• Seed saving is a practice deeply intertwined with kinship, place, and generational knowledge.
• Understanding the 'situ' or environment is crucial for recognizing a seed's identity and its multispecies kin relations.
• Traditional seed saving emphasizes the embodiment of environmental relationships within seeds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the intricate relationships between seed savers, their seeds, and their environments through ethnographic research.
• To analyze how environmental embodiment and intergenerational malleability are affected by modern agricultural practices.
• To highlight the importance of in situ conservation and traditional seed saving methods.

Main Methods:

• Ethnographic fieldwork conducted with seed savers and seed activists in London.
• Analysis of the connections between kinship, place, generation, and seed identity.
• Examination of how environmental factors are recognized (or not) in seed identity and multispecies relationships.

Main Results:

• Seeds not only are embedded in their environments but also embody them, carrying their worlds within.
• Seed savers perceive commercial seed breeding and ex situ conservation as detrimental, denaturing seeds' embodied environmental relationships.
• This denaturing process compromises the inherent intergenerational malleability of seeds.

Conclusions:

• In situ seed saving preserves the embodied environmental relationships crucial for intergenerational seed health and adaptability.
• Protecting seeds' connection to their environments is vital for maintaining their inherent malleability and multispecies kin relations.
• This research underscores the ecological and social significance of traditional seed saving practices against industrial agriculture.