Self-sufficiency means not having to rely on large seed companies every year

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Loïc Dewavrin is a grain, soy and oil seed farmer – and a seed saver on a massive scale.

Loïc Dewavrin is a grain, soy and oil seed farmer – and a seed saver on a massive scale.

“The idea of saving seeds is very important to us because seeds are the beginning of farming,” he says. “Without seeds, you can’t farm.”

And boy does he ever farm. The 1,500 acre farm he runs with his brothers, Le Moulin des Cèdres, is one of the 10 biggest organic farms in eastern Canada. Every year, he saves seeds from his variety of crops to plant the next spring.

“When we talk about food security, I think it is very important that farms can be self-sufficient,” says Loïc. “And that’s exactly what we are looking at when we do our own seeds. It’s to be sure that we have the seeds for the next year, to be able to plant something.”

Part of the self-sufficiency means not having to rely on large seed companies as a source of seeds every year, something he says he is unwilling to do. But by saving his own seeds, Loïc does more than just save himself the expense of purchasing bulk seeds yearly: he allows generations of crops and seeds to get acquainted with his land.

“We need to keep our own seeds because they are going to adapt to your land and if you buy new seed every year, they don’t have the chance to adapt.”