Page 22 - Demo

CommunityWWW.MSINGIAFRIKAMAGAZINE.COM | we tell the true afrikan story 22So, we cannot help but remember these beautiful gifts of nature to our families and communities. Gifts that have kept the generations of Africans alive and thriving even in the harshest days of drought and famine.And yet, perhaps the most miraculous truth of all is that seeds do not just return what we give. They return more. In response to love, they offer abundance. In answer to care, they burst into generosity. From a single gesture, they multiply life%u2014again and again and again. Such is the nature of a seed. It remembers. It responds. It rewards.Ubuntu and the way of seedsThe way of seeds is the way of life. But seeds cannot flourish without the care and love from the community. Why? Nature thrives when communities thrive. Ubuntu, in this instance, becomes the very communal system that we all must return to if we want to save and also multiply our seeds for posterity. We must share them, protect them, eat them, and also teach our children to do the same.Community Seed banks and seed protection campaignsNjia ya mbegu - The Way of Seeds, is a concept that highlights the importance of preserving or planting indigenous organic seeds, as well as exploring the philosophical aspect of seeds. That is, when you plant seeds, regardless of their type%u2014whether physical seeds or metaphorical seeds of distrust, greed, corruption%u2014or even love and life%u2014as we observe in Africa, you will not only harvest what you sow but often multiples of it. Therefore, it makes sense for more African communities to rise to the occasion by establishing seed banks and providing farming training for their people. Kenya%u2019s Traditional Methods of Preserving SeedsIn Africa, and in other indigenous societies of the world, true agricultural practices did not begin with toxic agrochemicals and lifeless GMO seeds; they started with knowing and understanding local indigenous cultures and the way those cultures guide and protect the people of the community. One of the most basic cultures in Africa%u2019s agricultural systems is the indigenous ways of saving and preserving seeds. While modern-day agriculture preserves seeds with chemicals that kill pests, which in turn can cause harm to humans who eat the food, indigenous cultures state that you can preserve your seeds without killing the pests or doing damage to the natural environment and biodiversity. Some of the methods the Kenyan farmers use include: Soot, dried pawpaw leaves ground, cow dung ash, brick dust, and dried tithonia leaves, juiced, and the juice used to soak the seeds before drying the seeds in the sun for storage.Ghana%u2019s Farmers Say No To GMOsThe war against Africa%u2019s indigenous seeds through the introduction of GMOs cannot be fought by individuals alone; it must be fought and won by the local communities who