SeedChange

SeedChange is a Canadian non-profit organization that has been at the forefront of sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty since 1945. Founded by Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova as the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada, the organization has spent nearly eight decades working with small-scale farmers in Canada and around the world to strengthen their ability to grow food sustainably using locally adapted seeds. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people, SeedChange operates programs across 14 countries including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Timor-Leste.

The organization focuses on supporting the rights and leadership of women, youth, and Indigenous farmers while advancing climate solutions through agroecology. With a commitment to keeping seeds in farmers' hands, SeedChange preserves and expands seed diversity, defends farmers' rights, and works toward food sovereignty. Their Rural Women Cultivating Change program, a $20 million seven-year initiative, directly benefits 93,000 rural farmers in East Africa. The organization works with approximately 35,000 farmers globally and has published extensive research on seed security, farmer-led innovation, and sustainable agriculture. As a registered Canadian charity, SeedChange relies on donations and partnerships to fund its mission of creating a just, sustainable, and well-nourished world.