The UBC Farm Seed Hub is the place where production, education, research & development, and community converge. The project was initiated in 2012 under the guidance of a UBC Land and Food Systems directed studies and is today an integrated part of the The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm.
The seed crops production fields and facilities serve as an demonstration site and an educational ground for regular hands-on workshops. More than one hundred students and community members come to the Farm every year to learn about the basics of seed saving. The project also provides internship positions to selected UBC students, and delivers off-site workshops and presentations to local community organizations and groups.
The Seed Hub is also a space for research and crop development. The project is committed to increasing the quality and quantity of seed grown in our region, and to recognizing the importance of space for collaborative research and crop improvement to do so. We also understand that to increase the quality and quantity of seed in BC is imperative to train and encourage the new generation of farmers to incorporate seed saving into their practice right from the start.
The UBC Farm Seed Hub coordinator Mel Sylvestre is one of the founding member of the BC Eco Seed Co-op. She incorporated seed production in her farming practices about 6 years ago and since then, seeds have been taking more and more space in her life and fields! She is committed in bringing vigor back to open-pollinated crop varieties and offer quality seeds to BC producers.
