Farmer direct, open-pollinated, open source and regionally adapted, Bhoomi Devi Seeds is a no-till seed farm operated by Olivia O’Dwyer, Noah Dest, and Bhoomi Devi (Mother Nature) and is based in Lincolnville, Maine. With 12 years of organic production farm experience, Olivia and Noah were first introduced to saving seed and plant breeding by their mentor, Will Bonsall, founder of the Scatter Seed Project. They continue to grow as seed farmers and breeders by dedicating themselves to further understanding plant genetics, soil and plant sciences, indigenous land relationships, and all subjects that broaden their perspective and connection to life. They currently operate Bhoomi Devi Seeds on leased land at Maine’s oldest organic apple orchard, Sewall Orchard in Lincolnville, Maine. Among the bees and blossoms, gurgling springs and blueberry fields, the fertile patch of earth they tend is producing seeds, food and medicine in abundance. Their growing practices abide by the principles of permaculture and they produce the majority of their own fertility right on their farm (or nearby to) in the form of cover crops, compost, leaf and grass mulch, seaweed, wood ash, wood chips, compost teas and more. They practice no till bed management and strive to make their systems as closed loop as possible. They do not use pesticides – not even organic pesticides. By planting many species of pollinator-friendly plants and creating the cultural conditions suitable for a variety of predator and generalist insect and arachnid species, they attract beneficial insects that function as natural insecticides. These insects help to keep the ecosystem in balance and minimize crop pest buildup. Olivia and Noah have always worked judiciously with the land, encouraging the native growth around them. The animals, insects and plants were living here first and they wish to maintain their habitat and respect their right to life.
Bhoomi Devi seed is a proud partner of OSSI (The Open Source Seed Initiative) Company! OSSI was created by plant breeders, farmers, seed companies, and sustainability advocates whose collective mission is to maintain open access to global plant genetic resources ensuring its accessibility to all farmers, plant breeders and communities for this generation and all to come. An open source crop variety is one that is not restricted by plant patents or other proprietary limitations used by F1 hybrids and crops of CMS and GMO technologies. The open source seed movement affirms that plant genetics and their physical traits cannot, and should not, be owned by individuals or corporations. In other words, plants should never be privatized or restricted because they are a collective resource. The genetics of open source seeds are protected and pledged to forever remain in the public domain. The OSSI Pledge is: You have the freedom to use these OSSI- Pledged seeds in any way you choose. In return, you pledge not to restrict others’ use of these seeds or their derivatives by patents or other means, and to include this Pledge with any transfer of these seeds or their derivatives.
In many countries today, the fight for seed freedom is at a critical point. Corporate seed giants make it illegal to save seed by pushing deliberately ruthless patent infringement laws and other broadband regulatory seed laws that favor industry and suppress the rights of civilians and farmers to generate and maintain local and open-pollinated seed varieties. In many places around the world, it is already illegal for farmers to save and share seed. The European Union, Canada, and parts of Africa, South America, and India have legislation in place making activities of seed saving and even seed swapping increasingly illegal. The US is close behind in adopting these suppressive measures with multinational seed and agricultural chemical corporations leading the way. It is a dire time to educate ourselves with fact-based knowledge in order to apply critical thinking and come together to create sustainable solutions for our planet’s future. We all eat food, but very few of us realize how rapidly and drastically the growing of food is changing. You as a gardener and farmer play a pivotal role in allowing crop diversity to proliferate. By supporting local seed production, saving your favorite seeds, and being educated and involved in understanding sustainable agriculture, you are making a big difference in the world for this generation and, more importantly, generations to come.
Bhoomi Devi Seeds is standing up for the rights of farmers, gardeners, and for life itself. We can never lose the right to save and distribute locally grown seed. As growers, we should always be able to choose what variety of crop we grow based on our unique regional and cultural needs, not based on the machine of global standardization. Each and every crop variety that we enjoy today are with us thanks to thousands of years of stewardship by countless generations of people around the world. We cannot be the generation that lost the freedom of saving and sharing seed. We cannot afford our agriculture to be under corporate control. Seeds belong to the people and we must stand up for our collective right to breed, sow and save resilient seeds.
