{"id":37540,"date":"2026-09-24T17:37:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T20:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/?p=37540"},"modified":"2026-09-30T10:13:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:13:19","slug":"have-you-ever-thought-about-becoming-a-seed-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geartips.club\/blog\/en\/have-you-ever-thought-about-becoming-a-seed-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"Have you ever thought about becoming a seed guardian?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the term “seed guardians”<\/strong> isn’t yet part of your vocabulary, we invite you to check out this third piece in our series on actions we can take to generate positive impacts on the environment.<\/p>\n

You’ll discover how preserving heirloom seeds is a simple gesture to protect plant diversity, honor ancestral knowledge, and promote healthier eating, including in urban centers.<\/p>\n

Heirloom seeds: preserving biodiversity and ancestral knowledge<\/h2>\n

Heirloom seeds, also known as traditional seeds, are ancestral varieties that haven’t undergone genetic modification in a laboratory, preserving characteristics selected and cultivated over generations. They are true treasures kept by seed guardians who contribute to the conservation of agricultural biodiversity through the rescue, multiplication, and preservation of these varieties.<\/p>\n

“Heirloom seeds are necessary to maintain food biodiversity, but every year, they become scarcer. The more you preserve a variety and harvest your own seed, the more you’ll help the planet”<\/strong>, explains Igor Ant\u00f4nio Tavares, agroforestry consultant and seed guardian of S\u00edtio Joaninhas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To give an idea, it’s estimated that there are more than 45 thousand bean varieties in the world, but most people only know a few of them, such as black beans, carioca beans, and black-eyed peas. Part of this diversity has already been lost, including in Brazil. Even so, Igor preserves more than 1,500 bean varieties, with distinct colors, flavors, and stories.<\/p>\n

\"S\u00edtio<\/p>\n

S\u00edtio Joaninhas preserves more than 1,500 bean varieties<\/p>\n

Responsible for one of the largest family seed banks in the country, he cultivates more than 2 thousand species. Among the highlights is teosinte, the ancestor of the corn cultivated today, whose preservation helps us understand the evolutionary journey of this food over thousands of years.<\/p>\n

“Today, thanks to the management, cultivation, and selection carried out by traditional peoples over time, we have about 50 varieties of corn, such as black, red, purple, and cunha corn”<\/strong>, he explains.<\/p>\n

\"Variedades<\/p>\n

Corn varieties<\/p>\n

Igor’s commitment to preserving biodiversity comes through multiplying, marketing, and sharing seeds and knowledge with other guardians. The goal is for more and more people to grow their own varieties and contribute to keeping agricultural diversity alive.<\/p>\n

What sets heirloom seeds apart from commercial ones<\/h2>\n

Besides keeping ancestral memory and biodiversity alive, heirloom seeds stand out for characteristics such as:<\/p>\n

– Food diversity:<\/strong> heirloom seeds help preserve varieties, flavors, colors, and characteristics that often don’t make it into large-scale production systems. By growing and consuming these varieties, people help maintain the genetic diversity of food and honor agricultural knowledge passed down between generations.<\/p>\n

– Autonomy:<\/strong> preserving heirloom seeds strengthens producers’ autonomy, especially in family farming. Once acquired, they can be multiplied, shared, and traded among farmers, contributing to food sovereignty and reducing dependence on commercial seeds. “If one day there are no more seed guardians and family farming to maintain these varieties, people will be held hostage by industry,” explains Igor.<\/p>\n

– Resilience:<\/strong> unlike hybrid and genetically modified grains, developed to serve large-scale production systems, heirloom seeds evolve and adapt to climate and soil over time. This process is guided by the selection carried out by farmers and traditional peoples over generations. That’s why many varieties show greater ability to adapt to local conditions, including periods of drought or heavy rain.<\/p>\n

“As you plant a variety of heirloom corn for three or four years and harvest your own seed, it tends to become more resistant and productive. Over time, it adapts to the characteristics of planting, management, climate, and soil composition”<\/strong>, says the consultant.<\/p>\n

Who are seed guardians and how to become one<\/h2>\n

Igor explains that the term seed guardian is used to bring people together, promote exchanges, and share knowledge, forming a network of rescue and preservation. It is therefore a hugely important role for biodiversity conservation. These are people who preserve, multiply, market, and spread seeds.<\/p>\n

\"Igor<\/p>\n

Igor Tavares, from S\u00edtio Joaninhas<\/p>\n

Anyone can become a seed guardian, even by growing and multiplying just a few varieties. The first step is choosing which species you want to preserve, which can easily be done in small spaces, including pots and planters in apartments located in urban centers.<\/p>\n

Among the consultant’s recommendations are crops that, besides contributing to biodiversity, are rich in nutrients and can even replace ornamental plants, creating a decoration that’s both beautiful and functional.<\/p>\n

“Go for an edible garden. Cherry tomatoes, for example, you plant them, eat them in salad, and still harvest the seeds for new crops. There are also bean varieties in different colors, with speckled, very decorative grains, that can be eaten, multiplied, sold, or traded. Fava beans, for example, are climbing plants and create an incredible look on fences, gates, and window screens, forming a green wall that also produces food. It generates lots of seeds, produces a lot, and is very hardy. It doesn’t need an ideal spot to grow”<\/strong>, he says.<\/p>\n

He also highlights crops like bell pepper, eggplant, and dwarf sunflower, which besides being beautiful have delicious seeds for eating. Seed drying and the selection and storage processes vary depending on the species chosen, but Igor provides these guidelines when the seeds are acquired.<\/p>\n

Your heirloom seed is one of a kind!<\/h2>\n

Using corn as an example, Igor points out that the best seed will be the one adapted to your own crop. That’s why he recommends not getting caught up in comparisons.<\/p>\n

“You can take two or three different varieties and plant them together. They’ll pick up characteristics from the region, the management, and the soil. Some plants will turn out nicer, others less so. You select the best specimens, harvest the seeds, and save them for the next planting. No seed bought from someone else will ever be better than the one you selected for your own conditions. And it will be one of a kind!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the case of corn, it’s possible to select specific characteristics over generations. You can choose varieties that produce taller or shorter ears, that generate two ears per plant, or that perform better in drier or more humid regions.<\/p>\n

“All of this can be selected and passed on to the next generations. As the plant adapts to local conditions, it grows stronger and stronger, keeping the characteristics that favor its development in that environment”<\/strong>, explains Igor.<\/p>\n

The community’s role in rescuing heirloom seeds<\/h2>\n

Heirloom seeds can be found at fairs, trading networks, and in indigenous villages. These spaces are essential for the circulation, preservation, and strengthening of varieties, directly contributing to the maintenance of biodiversity.<\/p>\n

“We’ve already lost some varieties due to problems that came up in certain years, but we managed to recover them with the help of other guardians, who grew those seeds again and were able to share them. There’s no competition among us, only cooperation. The more guardians there are, the safer biodiversity will be,” Igor concludes.<\/p>\n

We are already guardians, and we encourage you to start too!<\/h2>\n

The Gear Tips Training Center, located at Fazenda da Gl\u00f3ria, in Arape\u00ed (SP), in the Serra da Bocaina, already grows, within its agroforestry system, five varieties of corn (Sol da Manh\u00e3, Doce, Oaxacan, Pita, and Pipoca Gra\u00fada), five varieties of beans (Urutau, Mandi, Olho de Pomba, Cara Suja, and Feij\u00e3o-de-Porco), six varieties of okra, as well as cannon squash and annatto.<\/p>\n

“Our goal, besides offering the CAPACITAR Program trainings, is to provide transformative experiences through actions that generate positive impacts and encourage healthier eating. Adopting heirloom seeds joins initiatives like composting and agroforestry, among other practices we’ve already started implementing,” says Pedro Lacaz Amaral, founder and CEO of Gear Tips and heirloom seed guardian.<\/p>\n

If you’re also looking for ways to reduce environmental impact, check out this content:<\/strong><\/p>\n