Doug Jones, Principal Investigator

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Most vegetable seeds currently available to organic and sustainable growers in the Southeast have been selected, bred, and produced in other regions, and in conventional agricultural systems which have substantially different needs and methods from those of the smaller-scale growers of our region. Unfortunately, most of the “public breeding” programs (at agricultural universities) in all regions have virtually disappeared, or shrunk to very little activity that is beneficial to small, sustainable growers. A few multinational seed companies now do most of the breeding, emphasizing hybrid and genetically modified cultivars suited to large scale mechanized farms in less humid areas with different disease pressures.

A crucial component for successful organic vegetable production in the Southeast is the availability of varieties that have been selected and bred for superior performance in organic systems in the Southeast. For a number of years, I have been conducting my own variety trials and on-farm breeding of many promising varieties. The Abundance Foundation, recognizing the value of this work for contributing to both the success of local growers and the diversification of the local food supply, has secured funding to enable me to expand this work.

We are looking at a large number of varieties, and developing a written and photographic database of characteristics of these varieties, so they can be further evaluated by us and other farmers and researchers, for potential use and profitability on Southeastern organic farms. At the same time, we are selecting and breeding promising cultivars for superior adaptation and performance on local farms. We are also in our third year of performing pepper variety trials for the Seeds of Change company, to help them improve their catalog offering of varieties useful to commercial organic growers.

Education and networking are important components of our work. We conducted a number of workshops on seed saving and backyard breeding in March, April, and May, 2008. We host interns who focus on these activities while learning general organic farming techniques. We plan to publish substantial data from our variety evaluations and breeding work on this and possibly other websites. We are committed to the open-source sharing of our findings, as well as the germplasm we are developing. We often give away seeds to gardeners and farmers looking to diversify their crops. We do this primarily through “Seed Swap” events, especially the swap at the Annual Conference of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. Soon, as we achieve stable, reliable, regionally-adapted varieties – and sufficient seed thereof – we plan to market those seeds, as the beginnings of a local seed company.

This work is extremely complex and time-consuming, so we are seeking further funding to continue it at a level that will generate a valuable collection of germplasm in the near future.

For more information about helping to fund this important work-in-progress, contact the Abundance Foundation.