As the seed sovereignty movement grows, more and more of our regional groups are seeking to source varieties that have resonance with their local areas. Not only do these have slight adaptations that will respond to climatic differences, but the stories they tell are rooted in places, cultures and people that are familiar and endearing. […]
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Over the past year, the Seed Sovereignty Programme has gone, by its own admission, a little tomato mad. Tomatoes are one of the most widely grown and loved food crops in the world, and they also happen to be one of the easiest plants from which growers can save seed. This combination made them an […]
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This content was originally published on 2 March 2026 on The Regional Grain Network Newsletter Substack. Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives. This newsletter exists to share tales, insights and news from the UK’s emergent movement towards an agroecological grain system. Our news is as rich as what you share, […]
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Since visiting the Leakey home in May 2021, Northern England Coordinator Charlie has had the pleasure of speaking regularly with Tamsin about her father, Professor Colin Leakey and his beans. Tamsin and her mother welcomed Charlie to their home, where Professor Leakey lived his final years and where they have the remaining dwarf french beans […]
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In September the Seed Sovereignty Programme’s northern network held a Beanfeast. Communities would, traditionally, band together during harvest season for intense work as well as celebration: bringing in crops, saving seed and feasting on bounty. It is a time to, literally, enjoy the fruits of our labour. “Our recent Beanfeast event in the north of […]
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A new film from The Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty series celebrates The Leakey Bean Collection. It’s a story of seed as a source of connection to plants and people who have come before, as well as those yet to follow; deep rooted but always evolving. Watch the film: Read the interactive story: Since the […]
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