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Seed Law Resources

Legal and Other Resources

Many state laws previously created a barrier to seed sharing and seed libraries, so we partnered with other grassroots groups and with the Association of American Seed Control Officials (AASCO) to incorporate protections for seed sharing in this recommended model state seed law.
Protecting seed libraries in Nebraska - An Overview
Duluth City Council Resolution Supporting Seed Sharing (MN)
Oakland City Council Resolution Supporting Seed Sharing (CA)
Seed laws that criminalize farmers: Resistance and Fightback (GRAIN and La Via Campesina) (PDF)
Proceedings of the 2014 Summit on Seeds & Breeds for 21st Century Agriculture (RAFI-USA)
Joint Resolution in Support of Seed Libraries (2015 International Seed Library Forum)
A Legal Guide to Opening a Seed Library (to be released in 2015!)

Media

PBS, Food Forward, "Seeds of Change" (Overview of the importance of seed diversity, seed saving and seed libraries)
Open Solutions for Seeds, "The Right to Save Seed" (Great cartoon explaining legal barriers to saving and sharing seed in Europe)
NBC, Nightly News, "Stories of Progress" (Story about Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library)
Rebecca Newburn, "Seed Library Primer" (An overview of what seed libraries are, why they are important to local food systems, and what the regulatory response has been to seed libraries so far)
The Greenhorns, Our Land, "Adaptive Seeds" (Short webisode featuring a small seed farm and company in Oregon)
Seeds of Time (Documentary film about efforts to preserve seed genetic diversity from climate change through a seed vault in the frozen mountains of Norway)
Seeding Fear (Short film describing one Alabama farmer's experience being sued by Monsanto for intellectual property law violations for saving seeds)
Growing Your Greens, Interview with Neil Thapar (Video blogger, John Kohler, interviews SELC Staff Attorney, Neil Thapar, about the Save Seed Sharing campaign and how seed laws affect seed sharing in the US)
WBUR, On Point, "A Library For Your Seeds" (Radio program with guests Belle Starr (Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance), Ken Greene (Hudson Valley Seed Library), Dan Barber (Chef and Author), and Johnny Zook (PA Dept. of Agriculture))
KVNF, Local Motion, "Seed Libraries, Seed Saving" (Radio program with guests Sarah Pope (North Fork Valley Seed Library), Mark Waltermire (Thistlewhistle Farms), and Neil Thapar (Sustainable Economies Law Center))