The struggles farmers face are global. So are we.

SeedChange supports small-scale farmers around the world in their fight for justice, health and sustainability. We partner with like-minded local nonprofits to help keep seeds in farmers’ hands, protect farmers’ rights, and change the way we grow our food.

We believe in the power of people and seeds. Whether you are a farmer, funder, or eater, we can help you make a difference.

Our role in the field

Local partner organizations deliver all of our programs, because they know their regions and farming communities best. We support them in five ways.

We are facilitators, sharing knowledge and connecting people working to seed change in different parts of the food system.

We are funders for our partners’ work in promoting sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty.

We are trainers, supporting farmers who preserve seed diversity, farm sustainably and bring healthy food to markets.

We are incubators for innovative ideas. We document successes from the field to help agroecological practices spread.

We are influencers, encouraging policies that support small-scale farmers, protect seed diversity and prioritize sustainable agriculture.

The Seeds of Survival approach

We believe in local seeds, local knowledge, and communities empowering themselves.

Every SeedChange project is shaped by farmers’ needs and ideas, and designed collaboratively with the local partners who deliver it. Projects we support include farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchanges, community seed banks, farmer-led research and plant breeding, and co-ops through which farmers can improve their incomes by bringing healthy food to local markets. 

Ecologically sound farming techniques that preserve and enhance biodiversity are at the core of all of our work. Our guiding principles are food sovereignty and agroecology – two transformative concepts put forward by farmers’ movements to build a just and sustainable world. 

We pioneered our award-winning approach, Seeds of Survival, while working with the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute to help farmers rebuild after droughts and famine in the late 1980s. We’ve been building our expertise by collaborating with farmers, researchers and partners around the world, including Canada, ever since.

Rural Women Cultivating Change (2021-2027)

Rural Women Cultivating Change is SeedChange’s most recent International program, a partnership with Global Affairs Canada and 8 other civil society organizations to support women farmers in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. With funding of $14.8 million dollars CAD from Global Affairs Canada, this six-year project was created to support women farmers of East Africa to take control of their own lives, advocate for their rights and take leadership within their communities and beyond.

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Seeds of Survival Scale-Up Program (2015-2020)

Dig into the publications, methods and results from our most recent five year program, the Seeds of Survival Scale-Up Program. It was a $19.5 million climate resilience and food security program funded through SeedChange donors and Global Affairs Canada.

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Click each country marker to find out about our work