We’ve been sharing stories each day this week about the role of seed in building climate resilience. Thanks to the Big Give’s Green Match Fund, we’re also raising £20,000 for seed sovereignty, with every donation doubled until 29 April ➡️ Share or follow this link to help us reach our target.
Below, our Northern England Coordinator, Catherine, asks whether watching seeds adapt and strengthen over time can teach us the same is possible for ourselves.
While feelings of apathy, anxiety, and doom are catalysed by worsening environmental issues, healthy minds are essential in equipping us to adapt to and mitigate challenges brought by climate breakdown. So, how can we strengthen our mental health and, in turn, our resilience to the changing climate in such turbulent times?
Seeds are kernels of hope: the promise of nourishment for future generations. Amidst prevailing fear and doubt, these life springs afford positivity for what is yet to come. Working with seed embodies this mindset of possibility. Of flourishing life. Of eternal bounties, harvested and sown anew. The very act of saving seeds is a direct counter to the feelings of scarcity, competition, and isolation we are all trying to tackle: the incredible abundance of seeds creates the perfect conditions for generosity, sharing, and cooperation. Which in turn builds our societal resilience.
Each year, open-pollinated seeds become better adapted to their locale. Watching them strengthen over time teaches us that the same is possible for ourselves. That change is possible.
The Growing to Seed project, which ran in 2024, proved something that as regional coordinators, we know all too well: seed is good for your mental health. In the study, we trained 14 people in seed saving and found that mental well-being scores in the group rose by 6%, with participants scoring seed production specifically as the cause. One trainee is now in full-time employment after a long period of absence, another is now in full-time training to return to work, ten people have begun volunteering in community gardens, and five people pulled together to form a new seed hub.
Throughout the project, we referred to the NHS ‘five steps to mental wellbeing’. These guidelines touch on many of the joyous and perhaps unexpected aspects of working with seed, the benefits of which bloom beyond the individuals themselves.
People experiencing mental wellbeing challenges often feel like they are the recipients of support, so having an opportunity to connect with others on mutual grounds or to help others can be greatly restorative. Growing to Seed supported three small groups, ranging from four to eight people in size. These small groups allowed free-flowing conversations and the space for new friendships to form. By connecting with others, participants could begin to build their sense of belonging and self-worth and were given the opportunity to share in positive experiences with the group. One participant shared how they enjoyed “meeting wonderful people” and “being part of a different social network”. They added that the meetings “helped me to feel not so lonely”.
A well-loved element of the training was our weekly check-ins. Even when people came with active social lives, they often felt that they were the only ones among their peers holding the gravity of incoming crises. A reset, a chance to share and yet focus on the present moment and the few hours together, became highly valued. “I enjoyed gathering in a circle, building deeper connections and community”, shared one trainee. Another participant added that “without the group we’ve had, and the general opportunity [of the project], this year would have been a lot harder for me. Every time I got to see people who were also engaged with the project was an honest highlight, regardless of the week’s events”. These interactions between trainees are points of connection, and with connection comes community, a network of support that far exceeds the seed movement itself. Communities don’t just share seed; they come together in times of crisis and hold each other tightly. A mutual interest in seed production is enough to gather a group, but it’s rarely where it ends!
Physical activity has been proven to raise self-esteem and have a positive impact on mood, thanks to chemical changes in the brain that are stimulated by exercise. Growing to Seed took place in community gardens right at the heart of the people they serve. Outdoor spaces such as these are conducive to gentle movement and activity, alongside the bending, stretching, twisting, and balancing of seed production, all contributing to a good physical workout. One participant spoke to the physical side of the work, noting that “my favourite bit was literally the fruit of my labour!”
Learning something new has been found to help build self-confidence and a sense of purpose. Everyone taking part in Growing to Seed was new to seed production, with some only having limited food-growing skills. We used teaching tools like taxonomy pass–the-parcel and perfect flower modelling to embed learning in fun ways. There is a vast amount of knowledge that goes into seed production, and while some trainees commented on the complexity of information received, noting that the “taxonomy and Latin names were challenging”, participants also found they “enjoyed the science around seed saving”. All the participants closed the year with a harvest of beautiful seeds, and each presented a portfolio documenting what they’d learnt during the year when we gathered in November.
Seed production creates an almost miraculous abundance, and the joy of gifting was an unexpected benefit to the people taking part in Growing to Seed. It set it apart from community growing for food, and this aspect was the key positive finding of the project. People experiencing poor mental health rarely have the opportunity to give, which can leave recipients of services feeling needy, demanding, and disempowered. The abundance of a seed harvest is not matched in any other type of production. One seed planted yields thousands, and with that abundance comes the capacity to give away – a transaction without expectation of reward. To this point, one trainee shared that “when I harvested my seeds, I felt a real sense of achievement that I had managed to grow seeds that would be useful to myself and mostly to be able to share them with others”.
Growing a plant from seed to seed provides the opportunity to slow, observing each moment of change as it comes. From sowing and germination right through to harvesting and gathering seeds to sow again, the trainees watched, noted, and waited. With feelings of dread and anxiety common among those suffering from poor mental health, it makes sense that paying more attention to the present moment and the world around us can have a positive impact on well-being. Mindfulness helps with feelings of enjoyment and harmony by positively changing the way people feel about life and how they might approach challenges. “Regardless of my end results, with my crop, to have anything come of it has raised my spirits, and I look forward to growing more in future”, shared one participant who felt they greatly benefited from the project.
Climate breakdown is not easily tackled. But messages of greed and scarcity become less daunting with a pocketful of seeds and the skills, capabilities, and (perhaps most importantly of all) the community support of seed production. If we do this gently, tenderly and within the company of our friends, we really do have the capacity to make lasting change to our food system.
Every donation doubled until midday on 29 April
