Collection of testimonies from elders on the use of plants in rural areas during the 20th century. These stories are specific to a local culture and are part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
Collection of testimonies from elders on the use of plants in rural areas during the 20th century. These stories are specific to a local culture and are part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
Cultural heritage
Conservatoire des Légumes Anciens du Béarn
NGO
2013
3bis route du Bois 64510 Assat
The vegetable garden project was set up in 2013 to support the training of adults undergoing reintegration and wishing to work in the field of horticulture. At the end of 2014, on the basis of the work done, the association decided to make this mixed garden (i.e. where shrubs, flowers, medicinal plants and vegetables coexist) also an outreach space for schools and the general public. In 2019, CLAB raised awareness among almost 4,000 people about the importance of protecting plant diversity through its traditional seed conservation activities local. From five people who launched the project in 2013, CLAB has grown into an association with 386 members, including 30 active volunteers. The association regularly organises various events and training courses on site and is part of other projects, such as the international Gardeniser project, funded by Erasmus+. It is also a civil service and produces its own products from the things grown in the garden, which are sold in its own shop on the premises. Among the many activities of the association, the aim of preserving the biodiversity of the conservation garden, in which traditional local species have the main place, seems relevant to me.
CLAB conserves ancient seeds, reproduces them and disseminates them throughout the territory thanks to the direct sale of plants that are not available on the market, such as the „Maite“ tomato, a species that was in its president’s familys since generations. Its activity contributes to countering the expropriation of the seed heritage, which today has become rather a monopoly of a few agrochemical multinationals. An expropriation that has harmful consequences: cultivated species are decreasing, farmers are increasingly tied to large and small companies for their purchase.
Furthermore, the worldwide spread of industrial agriculture has eroded biodiversity. ‘Local varieties’ in particular have suffered. The loss of biodiversity then affects the spread of plant diseases, nutritional quality and increased resilience to the climate crisis. These are the motivations for the establishment of CLAB.
The great work done by CLAB could evolve into a seed exchange centre for local varieties. This would achieve multiple social and community purposes such as self-organisation, the development of collective responsibility in the management of seeds needed by the community itself, in an exchange relationship with other similar experiences in the area.
Favouring the return of seed exchange as a customary practice in rural seed culture and economy is undoubtedly an element that refers to self-production of food and, thus, subsistence.
Through this practice, CLAB also aims to promote access for all to the knowledge of the garden and the history of garden and vegetable culture, with a focus on the Bearn region.
One of the long-term goals is to increase knowledge and awareness in all people who visit it, and to contribute to an inclusive society in connection with a broader social movement interested in practices for maintaining biodiversity and building food sovereignty. A collective community space is thus created, for peasant seeds cannot be maintained by one person alone, but must be exchanged.
It is a collective domestication, often trans-generational… It is an expression of a social heritage and savoir-faire. Preserving a seed also means recovering the local culture related to it and giving it back a place and meaning in today’s life.
“The bonds uniting plants and man are inseparable: they have fed, clothed, cared for, poisoned them…. They have enabled the manufacture of tools, wicker objects or musical instruments. All these stories are part of our cultural heritage and must be accessible to all’.
The conservation and exchange of seeds and plants derived from traditional seeds
To successfully replicate the seed bank, here are some steps that can be followed:
The objective of the Gardeniser Academy project is to support the development of community gardens in Europe by offering online training contents tailored to the needs and expectations of gardeners all over Europe.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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