For thousands of years, humans have had a deep relationship with seeds. Seeds are our ancestors. They carry life, culture and memory. But today, the situation is drastically changing. Across Africa and the world, the corporate capture of agriculture is threatening native seeds and the communities who have nurtured them for generations.

In this inspiring and enlightening episode of Black Earth Podcast, Marion speaks with Mashudu Takalani of the EarthLore Foundation about seed sovereignty. Together, they explore:

🌱 Why seeds are essential to life on Earth
🌍 How Indigenous communities in Southern Africa are restoring traditional seed stewardship
💡 The impacts of corporate agriculture on food systems and culture
👩🏾‍🌾 The role of African women and youth as guardians of seed
🔥 How seed stewardship builds resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss
🌾 Daily practices we can all adopt to honour seeds and support food sovereignty

This is a conversation about protecting biodiversity, reviving Indigenous knowledge, and reclaiming our relationship with the seeds that sustain us.

🎧 Listen and subscribe to Black Earth wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

📲 Connect and collaborate with Mashudu Takalani and EarthLore Foundation https://earthlorefoundation.org/about-us/

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💌 Connect with Black Earth team for partnerships, speaking and media requests: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/contactus

Episode timestamps

00:00 Intro to episode and why we are talking about seeds

02:37 Mashudu’s relationship with nature

04:00 Why seeds are vital to life on Earth

08:00 How Mashudu accompanies communities in Southern Africa to restore their Indigenous seeds and ways of life

13:07 The impacts of the corporate capture of agriculture

16:40 Seed is culture

17:39 Building resilience to climate change and nature loss through seed stewardship

22:40 African women and youth as seed stewards

28:00 How to bring stewardship of seeds back into the hands of small scale farmers and communities

33:00 How we can start or continue to honour the role of seeds in our daily lives

36:42 How to support Mashudu and Black Earth