SeedChange / Sème l’avenir

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SeedChange / Sème l’avenir We are a nonprofit partnering with farmers to grow justice, health & sustainability. Food is powerful. It can nourish and uplift entire communities.

Starting with seeds, we work with farmers around the world to strengthen food sovereignty. SeedChange (formerly USC Canada) was founded in 1945 by Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova. It can also breed injustice and put our planet and health at risk. We work with small-scale and family farmers to grow just, healthy, sustainable harvests everywhere. By keeping seeds in farmers’ hands and strengthening farmers’ knowledge, we help communities thrive. We deliver tailored projects that help farmers improve their incomes, defend their rights, and grow better food for all. We partner with family farmers and like-minded nonprofits around the world to reclaim the power of food for good. Through these partnerships, we have three decades of experience supporting farmers' work to:

- Save, share and breed new seeds directly in the field.
- Regain and keep control of seeds in farmers' hands.
- Restore degraded lands and soil through regenerative, agroecological techniques.
- Find local solutions to water shortages and climate change.
- Launch successful enterprises and cooperatives to increase their incomes.
- Share and deepen their farming knowledge, with a special focus on the valuable knowledge of women farmers and Indigenous peoples.
- Advocate for their rights at the local, national and international level. We believe all peoples should have the right to healthy, culturally appropriate, sustainably produced food. We believe in all peoples' right to define their own food and agriculture systems. That's why we work for food sovereignty. Join our community and keep informed by signing up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3sJ9zpG

Support family farmers by becoming a monthly sustainer today: https://bit.ly/3dTEc5Y

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SeedChange, formerly USC Canada, is a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova and rooted in the notions of human dignity and equality. The main office of SeedChange is located on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people. We acknowledge the injustices of the past and present, and are committed to act in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples with humility, respect and reciprocity.

Most seeds available to Canadian farmers were bred for high-input, high-emission agriculture.As more farmers adopt organ...
07/07/2026

Most seeds available to Canadian farmers were bred for high-input, high-emission agriculture.

As more farmers adopt organic, regenerative, and low-input farming to build resilience to climate change, they face a real challenge: too few seed varieties have been developed and evaluated for the conditions they're actually farming.

We're working to change that.

Today we're launching Expanding Seed Diversity for Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Prairies.

Together with Mackenzie Applied Research Association (MARA) and Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation (PCDF), we're evaluating heritage, farmer-bred, and other climate-resilient wheat lines in organic field trials, under the very conditions they were selected to thrive in.

The data generated through these trials will help identify varieties suited to climate-smart farming systems, inform future breeding decisions, support variety registration efforts, and provide valuable information that farmers can use today.

Registering a new variety takes years. This is where that work begins.

This project was made possible with a donation from the RBC Foundation.

Biodiversity is often spoken about as something distant or abstract — rather than something that shapes our everyday liv...
05/22/2026

Biodiversity is often spoken about as something distant or abstract — rather than something that shapes our everyday lives.

In reality, it is embedded in the systems we rely on every day.

It is in the seeds we save, the food we grow, and the knowledge passed through generations.

Agrobiodiversity, the diversity of crops, seeds, livestock, trees, and soils used in farming, is a vital part of this broader biodiversity. It shapes what food is available, how farming systems evolve over time, and how communities sustain resilient food systems.

Across RWCC-supported communities, women farmers are strengthening agrobiodiversity through seed saving, crop diversification, agroecological farming, and the preservation of Indigenous and locally adapted varieties.

On her farm in Kenya, Rose Karoki’s work reflects this clearly. Through seed saving, crop diversification, and agroecological practices, she cultivates more than 30 Indigenous varieties while helping ensure these seeds and this knowledge remain part of local farming systems.

Biodiversity is not separate from food systems or climate resilience.

It is the system that holds them together.

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05/07/2026

Yesterday in the House of Commons, we saw a real win for public agricultural research.

Committee Chair Michael Coteau presented the Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee’s report on “Science in Canadian Agriculture and the Closure of Research Centres,” calling on the government to reverse cuts affecting Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research centres, experimental farms, and researchers.

The report also specifically calls on the government to reconsider its decision to close the organic and regenerative research program at Swift Current. Committee Vice-Chair John Barlow, MP Foothills confirmed that support for these recommendations was unanimous across party lines.

That level of agreement represents a significant win, and reflects strong, coordinated advocacy across the sector - from farmers, researchers, organizations, and everyone who signed petitions, contacted their MPs, submitted briefs, and spoke up about the importance of public agricultural research.

This is an important moment, but the work is not over. The government now has 120 days to respond to the committee’s recommendations.

We’ll be sharing more soon about how we can keep the pressure on to turn these recommendations into action.

Read SeedChange’s press release to learn more: https://weseedchange.org/press-release-government-must-act-on-committee-report-unanimously-calling-for-reversal-of-aafc-cuts/






04/26/2026

On International Seeds Day, we honour the farmers and seed keepers who are protecting the foundation of our food systems.

In this video, Abena Offeh-Gyimah, founder of The Beela Project (Ghana), shares why seed sovereignty matters – and what it means for communities to retain the right to save, share, and restore their own seeds.

The Beela Project works with farmers to protect, preserve, and reclaim Indigenous African seeds, foods, and agricultural knowledge. Through seed fairs, seed exchanges, community seed banking, and women’s nutritional gardening, the project is strengthening agroecology and local food systems from the ground up.

When Indigenous seeds are lost, so are traditional foods, cultural knowledge, and resilience in the face of climate and economic pressure. Restoring and protecting these seeds is not only an agricultural practice, but a cultural one.

SeedChange is proud to partner with The Beela Project through the project, Trax-Beela: Strengthening Local and Indigenous Food Systems in the Upper East and North East Regions of Ghana.

Today is a reminder that seed sovereignty begins with farmers, and with the freedom to save and share seeds in their communities.

Learn more about this project: https://weseedchange.org/trax-beela





“I no longer buy seeds or most of our food. I grow it myself.”At 69, Emily Mwaura is restoring biodiversity on her small...
04/22/2026

“I no longer buy seeds or most of our food. I grow it myself.”

At 69, Emily Mwaura is restoring biodiversity on her small 0.9-acre farm in Kenya – and proving what self-reliance through agroecology looks like in practice.

A few years ago, her soil was depleted and farming was becoming increasingly expensive and unreliable. Chemical inputs damaged soil health, pests increased, and access to quality seeds was limited.

Everything changed when she joined agroecology training through Seed Savers Network (SSN) under the Rural Women Cultivating Change (RWCC) project – learning how to work with nature rather than rely on external inputs.

She began rebuilding her farm using compost made from crop residues and kitchen waste, and replaced chemical inputs with natural pest control methods.

Today, Emily saves her own seeds and grows more than 50 crop varieties, including traditional crops that had nearly disappeared from her farm. She also exchanges seeds with other farmers, strengthening local seed systems and restoring biodiversity across her community.

Her farm is now a diverse, living system – where crops, livestock, trees, and soil work together to restore balance.

“I have seen beneficial insects return, and my soil is alive again. I have seen a big change and it is not like before. My farm is now full of life.”

This Earth Day, Emily’s story is a reminder that farming systems are part of ecosystems – not separate from them.

When farmers manage their land using agroecological practices, they can restore soil life, biodiversity, and the natural balance these systems depend on.

Support small-scale farmers at the heart of the agroecology movement: weseedchange.org/donate

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Joachim Voss, former Board member and a respected leader in international...
04/09/2026

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Joachim Voss, former Board member and a respected leader in international agricultural development.

Joachim served on our Board from 2014 to 2020, bringing thoughtful leadership and an unwavering commitment to sustainable agriculture and food security. In 2016, he travelled to Honduras to visit our programs – an experience that reflected his belief in staying closely connected to the work and the communities behind it.

Over the course of his career, including leadership roles at IDRC and as Director General of CIAT, Joachim helped shape global efforts to strengthen agricultural systems and support farmers around the world.

He will be remembered not only for his contributions to the field, but for his generosity, curiosity, and genuine care for others.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and former colleagues. His impact will be lasting.

From field to policy.At SaskOrganics Advancing Organics Conference & Trade Show, held last week in Regina, Saskatchewan,...
03/31/2026

From field to policy.

At SaskOrganics Advancing Organics Conference & Trade Show, held last week in Regina, Saskatchewan, SeedChange / Sème l’avenir’s Aabir Dey and Sarah Preston brought a critical conversation to the forefront: organic farmers need seed systems that reflect their realities.

Too often, seed policy is shaped without the voices of the farmers it affects most.

Through SeedChange’s Canadian program, this session highlighted the gaps – and the growing momentum – for farmer-led seed policy in Canada.

Grounded in Prairie farming contexts and focused on real pathways for advocacy, the message was clear: farmers must be at the centre of decisions about the seeds they grow, save, and rely on.

Learn more about our Canadian program: https://www.seedsecurity.ca/en/about/who-we-are

Seedy Saturdays have been bringing seed savers, gardeners, and community members together across Canada for decades – an...
03/13/2026

Seedy Saturdays have been bringing seed savers, gardeners, and community members together across Canada for decades – and SeedChange has been part of that story from the very beginning.

On February 14, 1990, curator Roy Forster hosted Canada’s first Seedy Saturday at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. More than 500 people attended. Among these early participants was USC Canada (now SeedChange), with Vancouver staff member Mary Lindsay sharing the organization’s Seeds of Survival program alongside partners at Seeds of Diversity Canada.

In the years that followed, Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday events began popping up across the country – a slow but mighty movement connecting people through seeds, gardening, and food.

Today, nearly 35 years later, more than 170 Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday events are held in communities across Canada.

Over the years, SeedChange staff, board members, volunteers, and partners have joined these gatherings to share stories from our work, connect with local communities, and take part in conversations about the importance of protecting seed diversity.

In the coming weeks, we’ll once again be joining Seedy Saturdays in communities across the country – and we’d love to see you there!

📍 Edmonton, Alberta (Alberta Avenue Community Hall 9210 118 ave NW) – Sunday, March 22, 2026 – 11:00am-4:00pm

📍 Guelph, Ontario (55 Wyndham Street North) – Saturday, March 28, 2026 – 10:00am-3:00pm

📍 Toronto, Ontario (Scadding Court Community Centre, 707 Dundas Street West) – Saturday, March 28, 2026 – 10:00am-2:00pm

Stop by our table to say hello and connect with us about seed diversity, food systems, and the power of seeds to bring communities together.

Looking for a Seedy Saturday near you? Explore the full list of events hosted by Seeds of Diversity Canada: https://seeds.ca/events/

This International Women's Day, we celebrate the leadership, resilience, and innovation of women farmers whose work is t...
03/08/2026

This International Women's Day, we celebrate the leadership, resilience, and innovation of women farmers whose work is transforming lives.

Across Canada and East Africa, they are saving seeds, protecting biodiversity, strengthening local economies, and building food systems that can withstand a changing climate.

In Canada, farmers like Arzeena Hamir, Hélène Saby, Denise O’Reilly, and Rachelle Ternier are creating the seed systems that preserve biodiversity and put regionally adapted, climate resilient seed into the hands of growers.

Across East Africa, farmers like Cecilia M’mburugu, Magreth Basso, and Adhina Molla are advancing agroecology, sharing knowledge, and advocating for women’s rights.

The women farmers featured here shared some of their proudest accomplishments – from growing healthy food and mentoring others, to strengthening local seed systems and building resilience.

Through initiatives like the Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada-funded Rural Women Cultivating Change project (https://www.weseedchange.org/rwcc-impact), SeedChange works alongside women farmers to strengthen agroecology, seed sovereignty, and gender equality.

Because when women farmers lead, food systems flourish.
Swipe to meet the women farmers featured here and read their words.

Our voices matter 🌱When the Government of Canada launched consultations on proposed changes to the Seed Regulations, we ...
02/26/2026

Our voices matter 🌱

When the Government of Canada launched consultations on proposed changes to the Seed Regulations, we asked you to speak up. And you did.

The “What We Heard” report is now out — and the impact is clear. Over 145 submissions were sent using our joint form with National Farmers Union / L'Union nationale des fermiers, representing more than 36% of all responses received. That’s farmers, seed savers, and community members standing up for a seed system that works for everyone.

This is what collective action looks like.

The next step? Draft regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for public comment.

Stay tuned — we’re not done yet. 🌾

Read the "What We Heard" report here: https://inspection.canada.ca/en/about-cfia/transparency/consultations-and-engagement/completed/modernize-canadas-seed-regulatory-framework

Address

56 Rue Sparks Street , Suite/bureau 600
Ottawa, ON
K1P5B1

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+18005656872

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