Browsing by Author "Besio, Kathryn"

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    Perpetuating Agricultural Heritage: Saving Seeds and Stories on Hawai‘i Island
    (2018-08) Stout, Ilana; Besio, Kathryn; Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science
    The saving and exchange of seeds and other germplasm is an essential component of in situ conservation of agricultural biodiversity. This qualitative research project identified people who keep seed on Hawai‘i Island, collected their stories of prized varieties, interviewed them about their motivations for seed saving and exchange, and examined their challenges. Seed savers cited a wide range of motives for saving seed. These include both philosophical and practical reasons, such as: economic considerations, growing considerations, enjoyment, tradition, preservation of biodiversity, and a desire to build food security. Participants share seed to ensure continued access to specific varieties, to build social capital, and to help strengthen the local food system. Seed savers also identified specific challenges to effective seed saving here in Hawai‘i. These included both physical challenges, such as storage, disease and invasive species, and social challenges, such as needs for improved communication, information sharing and skill building within the community. The findings from this study suggest that individuals and organizations that seek to encourage seed saving and enhance seed exchange networks in the Hawaiian Islands should use messaging that addresses multiple motivations in order to reach a diverse audience of seed savers. Strategies for further identifying and collecting the stories and germplasm of rare heritage varieties through citizen science methods are discussed.