Seed Festivals: A Tradition Worth Cultivating

I think my favorite horticultural event of the year is the Fête des semences et de l’agriculture urbaine de Québec (Quebec City Seed and Urban Agriculture Festival). You’ll forgive me if I’m a little biased! I know there are many seed-related events every winter, accross the world. However, as Quebec City is my hometown, it’s always a particular joy to be there for a few days in early March, and to be among so many familiar faces.

A Family Tradition…

It’s also a family tradition. My father, Larry Hodgson, was a regular participant in the Seed Festival. Almost every year, I’d drop in on him at his booth, where he sold his books and chatted with visitors. He was so popular that it was almost impossible for me to exchange a few words with him. In 2013, for the 4th edition, he was even spokesman for the event. After his death in 2022, I was invited to take part in the festival, and I return every year to perpetuate this fine family tradition.

…and an Ancestral Tradition

But seed festivals are part of a much older tradition, deeply rooted in our cultures and probably dating back to the first sedentary agricultural societies some 10,000 years ago. Long before the advent of seed catalogs and multinational agricultural corporations, gardeners and farmers were already exchanging seeds between neighbors, sharing their best varieties adapted to local conditions. In addition, families preciously passed on their seeds from generation to generation, perpetuating an agricultural heritage and essential biodiversity. Today’s seed festivals echo this community spirit.

A Modern Movement

They also have their origins in a movement to counter the standardization of crops and the domination of large seed companies. Seed festivals are essential for several reasons: they help preserve biodiversity by safeguarding heritage and local varieties, often absent from commercial catalogs; they foster food independence by reducing dependence on large corporations and supporting free seeds; and they encourage adaptation to local conditions, by facilitating the exchange of seeds adapted to a region’s specific climates and soils.

In the 1970s and 1980s, groups like Seed Savers Exchange in the United States began organizing seed exchange events to protect these varieties and promote diversified seeds. An emblematic example is National Seed Swap Day, celebrated every last Saturday in January with seed exchange events across the country. In Europe, seed festivals emerged in the 1990s and 2000s, often in response to strict European Union regulations, which favored commercial varieties registered in official catalogs. These events thus took on a political dimension, protesting against these standards while raising awareness of the importance of local seeds and the preservation of genetic diversity.

The Rise of Seed Festivals in Canada

In Canada, Seeds of Diversity, founded in 1984 as the Heritage Seed Program, was created to preserve the genetic diversity of food crops. The organization organized its first seed exchange in 1988, followed in 1990 by the first Seedy Saturday, a community event where gardeners, farmers and biodiversity enthusiasts can exchange seeds, attend lectures and discover varieties adapted to local crops, thus launching a national movement. These events have since fostered the transmission of knowledge, encouraging the sharing of knowledge on seed saving and ecological gardening, while strengthening social and community ties. Becoming independent in 1995 under the name “Seeds of Diversity”, the organization has established key partnerships and launched initiatives such as the Canadian Seed Library, which today preserves over 2,900 rare varieties.

Inspired by Seedy Saturdays, Quebec’s first Fête des semences was held in Montreal in 2001. These events were created to promote organic and local seeds, while raising awareness among gardeners of the importance of preserving biodiversity in the vegetable garden. Since then, these festivals have multiplied across the province, becoming a winter tradition bringing together seed producers and amateur gardeners in a spirit of community.

In this way, seed festivals embody much more than a simple event for exchanging or selling seeds; they build resilience in the face of crises, support the local economy, encourage horticultural innovation and promote ecological practices, while celebrating a living cultural heritage.

What’s in a Seed Festival?

But these are more than just activist events! Seed festivals are first and foremost festive gatherings where gardening takes center stage. They feature a host of activities, from local producers’ stands selling organic seeds and sustainable agriculture products, to conferences, hands-on workshops and demonstrations on topics ranging from seed saving and ecological gardening to the essential role of pollinators.

At many of these events, visitors have the opportunity to swap local and heritage seeds, often around a barter table where everyone shares their horticultural finds. Families are not left out, with fun activities for children.

It’s a great opportunity to meet enthusiasts, ask questions to experts and leave with lots of ideas… and new seeds for your vegetable garden! Why not start a tradition by visiting a seed festival near you this year?

Seedy Saturdays and Events in Canada