Since the dawn of agriculture, our seeds have travelled with us, over landscapes, across oceans, through time.
No one owns these seeds. Each generation passes the tiny bundles of life on to its descendants.
They are a gift from the past and a promise for the future. Deep rooted, but always evolving.
A Legacy Imbued in the Seed, the latest short film in The Gaia Foundation's Seed Sovereignty series, follows seed keeper Tamsin Leakey in her work to sustain the bean varieties bred by her father. Colin Leakey was a world leading botanist, himself the son of palaeontologist Louis Leakey whose renowned research proved that mankind evolved from east Africa.
Created by filmmaker Andy Pilsbury, the story is a testament to Tamsin's determination to start a 'bean revolution' in her father's name, at a time when locally-grown, plant-based protein is much needed to maintain healthy diets in the midst of a global climate crisis.
If the time isn’t now, when will the time ever be right for a bean revolution? Everyone's looking for answers about what can we do. We can shop second hand... we can try to reduce our consumption... but actually, we can save beans, we can save biodiversity.
The film explores the challenges Tamsin faces as custodian of The Leakey Bean Collection, inheriting her father's seeds and recognising their worth to future generations.
It also celebrates the importance of community in sharing this weight of responsibility, allowing seeds and seed keepers alike to flourish.
It is a story about seed keeping as an intergenerational practice, about seeds as a source of love, legacy and connection to those who have come before and those countless generations yet to be born.
We hope you enjoy it.
The Gaia Foundation
We are a small, international organisation with 35 years’ experience accompanying partners to revive and protect bio-cultural diversity. We take a holistic approach to regenerate healthy ecosystems and strengthen community self-governance, in the face of climate chaos, biodiversity collapse and social injustice. From the Atlantic to the Arctic, Africa to the Amazon, we are reweaving the basket of life, revalorising the knowledge systems that enhance it, and restoring a respectful relationship with the Earth.
UK & Ireland Seed Sovereignty Programme
The Gaia Foundation's Sovereignty Programme is working to (re)establish a resilient seed system across the UK and Ireland. We support small-scale commercial growers, community groups, home gardeners and allotmenteers with workshops, networks and resources to help restore seed diversity across these isles. If you've moved or motivated by A Legacy Imbued in the Seed, and would like to get in touch, you can contact our Northern Seed Hub coordinator, Catherine Howell, on catherine@gaianet.org or follow the network on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @northernseedsov.
Catch up on the other films in this series:
Credits:
Andy Pilsbury for The Gaia Foundation