The Value of Seeds
In the past, our grandparents had a saying "If you have seeds, you have life" because seeds can feed many people and are an essential food source for every human being. No more seeds means no survival of humanity. They are maintained and preserved from the ancestors' generation to the descendants' generations.
Seeds are not allowed to be thrown away or trampled because they are very sacred. Even though some varieties have been lost, they are still preserved and shared with many others to continue to maintain and conserve. To live, humans must have seeds to feed themselves and their families. Indigenous seeds are closely tied to the traditional cultures of many different ethnic groups in their lands and localities. However, currently, research shows that 93% of the seeds on earth have been lost in the past 80 years.Monoculture farming using hybrid varieties instead of traditional varieties has caused many species around the world to become extinct. Farmers, especially women, lose their rights in agricultural production. They have to depend on seed sources sold in the market without being able to leave them for future generations. With those meanings, on the afternoon of September 29, 2020 in Dung Kno, Lac Duong, Lam Dong, Caritas Dalat accompanied and organized an exchange session to share indigenous seeds from 10 different ethnic minority communities in Lam Dong province...The display of local seeds was held at the Dung Kno parish hall. The participants were Caritas Dalat staff and farmers from many different regions brought to display.
The ceremony begins with a prayer over the seed. Each region chooses a representative to pray according to each region's own folk songs and prayers. Present here are the following ethnic groups: KoHo, Ma, Cill, M'Nong. Then there is a minute of silence for each member to understand and feel the value of the seed. After praying, the farmers went to the display table and each person took the seeds they liked and lacked, planted and cared for them until they flowered and bore fruit. These and other varieties will continue to be grown, multiplied and exchanged and shared in subsequent forums, then more people will have these varieties and they will continue to be preserved and passed on to successive generations.
Joy connects joy Farmers are proud to save these small seeds of many different shapes that can feed themselves, their families and the whole world. My hands make it and my hands keep it and pass it on to the next generation. This is an activity in the first learning exchange forum for community groups that have products that Caritas Dalat has accompanied and organized for 2 years. The goal of this forum with the theme "promoting indigenous knowledge in food sovereignty" is an environment for groups to exchange and inspire each other in the process of creating comprehensive and sustainable change.
Pang Pe K’Thin
