As the pandemic encouraged many more people to garden at home and thus sparked a huge rush on seed producers and seed banks in the UK and North America, many people have begun to think seriously about the resilience of our food system, with some arguing that seeds should be owned by the public rather than agrochemical companies. It is not a new debate, but it seems to have taken on more resonance as a result of the pandemic.

The seed saving movement has been quietly growing in the UK for some time, the Guardian reported. People swap seeds through networks that are both formal and informal, or through larger events such as Seedy Sunday, the UK’s biggest and longest running seed swap held in Brighton every February.