(Photo credit: David Alvarez, Viva Farms)
Port Townsend, WA (March 7, 2022) - Congratulations to the graduates of the 2021 Organic Seed Production Course! OSA’s flagship online and in person learning experience offers six modules over seven months, exploring the technical, socio-political, and business aspects of seed production. Twenty-two students completed the 2021 course and are now heading into the 2022 season ready to take their next steps as seed producers.
2021 was the second year that OSA offered the Organic Seed Production Course. The curriculum was similar to the 2020 course in that all content was offered online via Organic Seed Commons and students participated in live sessions twice a month. The course also had a hands-on component, as students were expected to grow seed as part of their course experience, either as an employee on a seed farm, or as an independent grower working with a seed mentor. The biggest difference between the 2020 course and the 2021 course was the addition of a new module on Seed Sovereignty and Intellectual Property, featuring educators and thought leaders from a variety of perspectives and lived experiences.
Applications are now open for the 2022 Organic Seed Production Course. The application is open to anyone in North America who can experiment with seed production while taking the course, i.e. has access to some land for seed production, and has time to fulfill the course requirements which includes live sessions twice a month, monthly modules, and a season-long assignment. The application closes March 20, 2022. Admission preference is given to beginning farmers and growers from communities historically excluded from agricultural opportunity.