Global Seed Savers, in partnership with RECCORD, recently held a Community Learning and Awareness on Seed Sovereignty (CLASS) session in Brgy. Longboy, Bakun, Benguet. This gathering aimed to introduce seed sovereignty to partner communities, highlight the importance of saving seeds, and invite participants to take part in future Global Seed Savers’ programs.
For many in Bakun, the realities of climate change are felt deeply. Typhoons and droughts have devastated farms, leaving households reliant on government support or commercial seed stores for their planting needs. During the session, participants reflected on this vulnerability and voiced a strong desire to reclaim their independence by saving their own seeds. They also recognized the need to return to natural farming practices, which include methods once taught by their ancestors, as a way to build resilience and restore balance to their land.
By the end of the session, participants committed to undergoing further training and pledged to dedicate 50 square meters of their own farm lots to seed saving. This marks an important step in organizing a local seed-saving community. Together with RECCORD, Global Seed Savers will conduct a Seed School 1 in October, laying the groundwork for sustained learning and collective action toward food and seed sovereignty across the Philippines.