Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Cultivating Community: Helping rural libraries develop heirloom seed and story repositories
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The Southern Appalachians have a rich and diverse agricultural heritage, yet heirloom seeds and the elders who save them are rapidly disappearing. Students minoring in Appalachian Studies at the University of North Georgia preserve this agro-biodiversity and cultural tradition though collecting, growing, banking, and sharing local heirloom seeds as well as the related ethno cultural knowledge. From this “memory banking,” students create visual and performance art based on the stories of the seed keepers, thus blurring the edges of science and art. Although this initiative, Saving Appalachian Gardens and Stories, has collected almost 150 heirloom seed varieties, there is no consistent distribution mechanism. Therefore, as part of its Appalachian Teaching Project, the Center partnered with the local library system to explore how public access to heirloom seeds can be increased. Learn about the successes and pitfalls of this seed and story depository and share your experience about community access to heirloom seeds.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Rosann Kent is Director of Appalachian Studies at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, GA. She received her Masters in Storytelling from East Tennessee State University.
Cultivating Community: Helping rural libraries develop heirloom seed and story repositories
The Southern Appalachians have a rich and diverse agricultural heritage, yet heirloom seeds and the elders who save them are rapidly disappearing. Students minoring in Appalachian Studies at the University of North Georgia preserve this agro-biodiversity and cultural tradition though collecting, growing, banking, and sharing local heirloom seeds as well as the related ethno cultural knowledge. From this “memory banking,” students create visual and performance art based on the stories of the seed keepers, thus blurring the edges of science and art. Although this initiative, Saving Appalachian Gardens and Stories, has collected almost 150 heirloom seed varieties, there is no consistent distribution mechanism. Therefore, as part of its Appalachian Teaching Project, the Center partnered with the local library system to explore how public access to heirloom seeds can be increased. Learn about the successes and pitfalls of this seed and story depository and share your experience about community access to heirloom seeds.
