Are Seeds Alive?

<p>Are seeds alive? What are they made of? Here in Vermont it's planting time, and we've been getting a lot of questions about seeds from kids around the world. In this episode we'll explore the importance of preserving seed diversity with Hannes Dempewolf of the <a href="https://www.croptrust.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Global Crop Diversity Trust</a>. Crop Trust manages a repository of seeds from around the world at the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, above the Arctic Circle.</p> <p>Plus, ethnobotanist and Abenaki scholar Fred Wiseman shares a little bit about a project called Seeds of Renewal, which aims to find seeds traditionally grown by Abenaki people in our region and return them to cultivation.</p> <p>Download our learning guides: <a href="https://www.vpr.org/sites/vpr/files/202106/are_seeds_alive_.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PDF</a> | <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mpt5_VfoGg0xtO3Q0aESCXFp2ke-IF61NF_SCvs_q8Y/copy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Slide</a> | <a href="https://www.vpr.org/sites/vpr/files/202106/But-Why-Kids-155-Seeds-TRANSCRIPT.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Transcript</a></p> <p>More Plant Episodes:</p> <p><a href="https://www.vpr.org/post/how-do-big-plants-grow-such-small-seeds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How Do Big Plants Grow From Such Small Seeds?</a></p> <p>The <a href="https://www.croptrust.org/our-work/svalbard-global-seed-vault/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Svalbard Global Seed Vault</a> contains an enormous wealth of seeds from around the world. Unlike other seed banks, the vault is designed not to be used unless there are no other options in other seed banks. Seed banks are places where seeds are stored for future use in case of a disaster or crop failure, and are sometimes given out to help establish new populations of heritage or rare plants and crops. Seed banks also promote genetic diversity by keeping many varieties of seeds from many different plant species.</p> <blockquote> <p>"Are seeds alive?" - Evie, 5,