The Open Source Seed Initiative was inspired by the open source movement in the tech communities and aims to fight the monopolies that major companies like Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta have when it comes to commercial seed sales.
When seeds get tied up with patenting, licensing, and intellectual property concerns, this significantly reduces the varieties gardeners, breeders and farmers have access to. The OSSI initiative launched on April 17th and each seed package is printed with the Open Source Seed Pledge, which states that each pack should be "freely used, sold, bred, and shared, but not legally restricted."
As of now, the Open Source Seed Initiative is offering an introductory pack for $25, which includes zucchini, kale, pepper and lettuce seeds.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Open Source Seed Sharing
- Encourage sharing and free usage of seeds to fight against monopolies of commercial seed sales.
- Patenting-free Gardening
- Promote gardening that is not restricted by intellectual property concerns of seed products.
- Community-based Food Production
- Facilitate collective seed sharing in communities to generate diverse food products.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Agriculture
- Disrupt the agriculture industry by providing more access and diversity to non-commercial seeds.
- Food
- Promote diverse food products and seed sharing in the food industry.
- Environmental Advocacy
- Support environmental advocacy by promoting the use of open-source and patent-free seeds.
