Our introductory course for commercial growers and community groups working with veg or seed. The course runs over two webinars; attendance at both sessions is mandatory to complete the course.
Completing this intro course gives growers access to our Year-Long Seed Production Training course.
The next Introduction to Seed Saving courses will run in 2026. Dates will be published here and on our events page soon.
Join us for our year-long seed production training for growers across the UK and Ireland. Hosted by the Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme, this course will combine expert teaching with peer-to-peer knowledge exchange to build your skills as a seed grower.
The course is designed to give you a broad understanding of the practicalities of seed production, as well as the political context of seed sovereignty. The course will be delivered by means of presentations, webinars and site visits. Some sessions are delivered online, and some will be face-to-face within your region.
Participants should be commercial food producers or community growers looking to distribute seed more widely. We ask that you have a good understanding of crop cultivation. Some seed saving experience is beneficial, but not necessary. This course is not suitable for home growers. Home growers can find fantastic resources on seed saving at a garden scale from the Heritage Seed Library and through the Vital Seeds seed saving course.
Taught material is delivered on the first Wednesday evening of each month between March and November, and in two-hourly sessions between 6.30pm & 8.30pm. There is a short ‘break’ during the summer months, which enables the more practical elements of seed production to be taught on site. Online delivery will be using Zoom.
Prior learning and prerequisites: This course sits broadly at Level 3. It assumes the following pre-requisites:
If you are less confident about the above, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss your individual circumstances (see below for contact information).
Our regional coordinators are based around the UK and Ireland. To read more about them, see our Who We Are page. Our ‘regions’ include Scotland, Ireland, Northern England (north of Birmingham), Southern England (south of Birmingham), and Wales.
Applications are now closed for 2025.
Check back soon for the 2026 syllabus.
Assessment is by means of a seed portfolio presentation and a minimum of 80% attendance. Your regional coordinator may also ask you to complete small tasks to consolidate your learning. This is a non-accredited, non-certificated course delivered at Level 3 (A-level equivalent), requiring approximately 45 guided learning hours and an additional 45 hours of self-directed study to complete the portfolio/additional learning. Completion of this course gives growers access to our Advanced Learning Opportunities, such as the Crowdbreeding project and UK & Ireland Seed Trials.
A free, pre-recorded webinar series funded by Farming the Future, made in collaboration with the Seed Sovereignty Programme, CSA Network UK, and the Organic Growers Alliance, featuring speakers and growers from the wider network.
SeedTV is a webinar series hosted by The Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme for the seed network in the UK and Ireland. Topics range from medicinal seeds to seed garlic, seed legislation changes to crowd breeding, but have one thing in common: seeds!
Join us (roughly) quarterly to delve deep into the rich, regenerative, radical world of seed as we explore topics that have the most interest and impact for our networks. Find upcoming SeedTV webinars on our events page.
In 2023, The Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme launched a focus group to aid the creation and support of seed hubs throughout the UK and Ireland. We are delighted to share the recordings of the focus group’s sessions publicly.
Our aim through this focus group was to highlight some of the key challenges to be aware of, the most important decisions that arise, and the skillsets groups require to succeed. The sessions cover everything from organisational structures to processing seeds and marketing seed hubs.
The Community Seed Forum (CSF) is a bi-monthly, peer-to-peer learning space for new and experienced community seed projects (libraries, networks, circles, etc.) to exchange ideas, challenges and potential solutions about how these projects run.
Graduates of our Year-Long Seed Production Training gain access to our Continued Learning Opportunities, which include taking part in our UK & Ireland Seed Trials and our Crowdbreeding project, alongside other events and courses. In recent years, growers have taken part in a variety of trials, including blight-resistant tomato breeding in collaboration with renowned tomato breeder Simon Crawford, biennial trials with leek and parsley seeds, and dwarf French bean trials.
Learn more about Seed Sovereignty and the work our team are doing in the UK & Ireland:
One hundred years ago, not a single seed was owned. Today, seeds are one of the most controlled commodities in the world. Discover the importance of seed sovereignty.
Growing, sharing, and sowing agroecologically grown, open-pollinated seed for food justice, community connection, and biodiversity. Welcome to the world of seed saving.
The Seed Sovereignty Programme
Explore how our team are supporting a biodiverse, resilient seed system & small-scale seed production across the UK & Ireland.
