<
https://www.positive.news/society/growing-and-sharing-seeds-can-boost-mental-health/>
"During 15 years of working on community food projects, Catherine Howell
noticed something. As well as the biodiversity benefits of saving and sharing
seeds, there seemed to be a positive impact on the growers themselves.
To test her hypothesis, Howell set up a pilot project as part of the Gaia
Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty programme, which she helps to coordinate. Fifteen
people who were experiencing challenges with their mental wellbeing took part,
meeting fortnightly throughout 2024 in three groups across Middlesbrough,
Stockton-on-Tees and Hinderwell. Participants produced a crop of their choice
and harvested the seed.
Each session began with a mental health check-in, and at the beginning and end
of the course participants were asked to score their mental wellbeing.
Despite many facing significant challenges across the year, the average score
had risen by 6%, with the biggest increases in those who had felt lowest
initially. One participant’s score went from 2/5 to 4/5, which they attributed
to learning something new in a friendly environment.
The project was small and the upticks light. But it’s backed up by a scientific
study published by Canadian researchers in December, which found that community
seed saving has positive impacts on health and wellbeing."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
