The Long Island
Regional Seed Consortium
GROW. SAVE. SHARE.
Dedicated to education, advocacy, and research to foster and nurture local seed systems.
About LIRSC
Without local seed production, local food is missing a critical and fundamental link in the chain. We believe in the principle of seed sovereignty and open source maintenance of seed that is available to everyone. It is the right of every person to save seed and improve on varieties as he/she sees fit. Seed saving increases biodiversity through personal choice and agency.
Founded in 2012 with a small group of farmers around a kitchen table, we have expanded to work closely with breeders, farmers, chefs, gardeners and other organizations, spreading the word about the importance of biodiversity, regional varieties and seed saving. Through various projects like The Long Island Cheese Pumpkin Project, the annual seed swap and the seed library initiative, we strive to bring the importance of a sustainable food culture to the forefront.
The LIRSC provides historical data and information about regional varieties. While some of these
varieties have been lost forever or on the verge of extinction, it is important to retain a record of them. The compilation of historical ephemera and information is available to everyone; from scholars to school gardens. It is absolutely critical that a tangible written history be maintained so celebrated food culture can be passed on to future generations rather than being lost to time.