“Culture is not only present in books, but also in personal and community experiences”
- The seed library is a unique project launched by the Navarra Library Network in 2022. Clara Flamarique Goñi, project manager of the Libraries Service of the Government of Navarra, recalls its beginnings as follows: “We met the seed library that was running in the library of Zaragoza and we thought it was a good idea. We received training and decided to launch a similar project in Navarra.” The initiative aroused great interest from the outset, and consists of 23 libraries throughout the territory.
“Libraries are spaces for culture and we believe that cultural heritage is not only in books, but also in personal and community experiences,” explains Flamarique. He recalled that the words culture and "cultivation" had the same etymological origin and, therefore, why would libraries not be a space conducive to the dissemination and protection of the culture of seeds and land? That link was the one that launched the project. To begin with, they distributed closets to store the seeds in 23 libraries and supplied them with seeds donated by the Seed Network of Navarra and INTIA. In addition to this basic collection, indigenous seeds can be donated in each village. And, of course, not only to give, but also to receive.
But, in addition to the physical seed library, they wanted to value the immaterial heritage linked to agriculture with the project's "Mintegi" initiative. In collaboration with the Public University of Navarra, old words and promises related to land and agriculture are being collected. In addition, in 2022, after the launch of the seed library project, the project was presented to a grant to Ibero-American libraries and received a grant for their development. “As a result, we have been able to schedule a broad programme of activities related to seeds and agriculture: we draw up a calendar with information from old varieties, we conduct seed workshops, talks, projections…”.
Now looking for the seed guardians.
One of the richest parts of the project is that the seed library has been taken to many counties of Navarra. “We always try to promote collaborative projects from the network that extend across the entire territory for libraries to be promoters,” says Flamarique. Seed libraries are already underway in Leitza, Olazti, Aurizberri, Roncal, Puente la Reina, Tierra Estella, Artajona, Allo, Tafalla, Olite, Mendavia, Castejón, Arguedas, Cintruénigo, Ribaforada, Monteagudo and some neighborhoods of the Comarca. “We have also collected seeds from every village that we didn’t have at first but that we’ve been picking up later,” Flamarique explained.
The project, which has been developed in collaboration with associations and groups in the region and food sovereignty, has been greatly appreciated during these years. For the future, the challenge they now face is to find the seed caregivers to care for, maintain and reproduce the seeds collected.
