Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI)

We are an OSSI Seed Company Partner.

What is OSSI? The Open Source Seed Initiative is a non-profit organization formed by a group of plant breeders, farmers, seed companies, and sustainability advocates who want to free the seed!

OSSI’s mission: to maintain fair and open access to plant genetic resources worldwide in order to ensure the availability of germplasm (seeds) to farmers, gardeners, breeders, and communities of this and future generations.

Why? Because over the past several decades, seed patenting by multinational corporations has skyrocketed. All types of seeds have been patented, not just GMO seeds. The patenting of seeds takes seeds out of the hands of the public (that's you & I) and puts it under corporate control. Patented seeds cannot be saved, replanted, or shared by farmers and gardeners. And because there is no exemption for plant breeders, patented seeds cannot be used by farmer-breeders, universities, or small seed companies to create the new crop varieties that should be the foundation of a just and sustainable agriculture (Click here for more info about seed patents). 

How it works: Breeders commit to making their varieties available exclusively under the OSSI pledge which insures that the seeds will remain un-patented and in the hands of the public. What freedoms does the OSSI Pledge protect? 

1. The freedom to save or grow seed for replanting or for any other purpose.
2. The freedom to share, trade, or sell seed to others.
3. The freedom to trial and study seed and to share or publish information about it.
4. The freedom to select or adapt the seed, make crosses with it, or use it to breed new lines and varieties

When you buy, grow, or breed with OSSI varieties, and when you pass the Pledge along with the seed, you are protecting, extending and perpetuating these four essential seed freedoms.

For more info about OSSI, click here. See below for our OSSI seeds.