After much hard work, we’re proud to unveil the Seeds Canada Guide to Sustainable Seed at our upcoming annual meeting in Quebec City.
When I first picked up this project, I knew it would be big — but I’ll be honest, it ended up being even bigger than I originally thought. And really, when you’re talking about sustainability, how could it be anything else?
Sustainability touches everything, stirs a lot of opinions, and demands that we synthesize a huge amount of good work being done by a lot of people across the sector.
The document we’ve put together is 17 pages long — and even after all that effort to keep it as clear and concise as possible, it’s still a lot. But that’s because the story of sustainability in the seed sector is a big one.
This all really began before my time with Seeds Canada. Back in 2023, Director of Policy Lauren Comin unveiled an early sustainability document to our members. There was a lot of excitement — people were interested, intrigued by what a sustainability resource could look like for our sector. Coming out of those early conversations, a few big things were clear:
First, members wanted a “one-stop shop” document — something that captured the various sustainability efforts happening across the seed sector in one place. They wanted a tool that wasn’t theoretical but rooted in what was happening on the ground.
Second, there was an understanding that the document needed to reflect our members. It had to be built with their input, to serve their needs.
When I joined Seeds Canada in January 2024, it felt like a natural fit to jump into the sustainability file. My academic background is in sustainable development, so it made sense for me to work alongside Lauren, picking up where she left off and pushing this project forward.
From the start, it was important to me that the guide wasn’t just about our members — it was for them, and built by them. That meant a long, detailed consultation process.
Whenever I attended an event — whether it was the Seeds Canada annual meeting, seed grower meetings, the Canadian Crop Convention, Canadian Agri-Food in a Sustainable World or any other gathering where members were present — I made it a point to talk to as many stakeholders as possible about this document. I built lists, scheduled Zoom meetings, and engaged members both informally and formally to get their thoughts.
In November 2024, we kicked off a more structured pre-consultation with about 15 members across different parts of the seed sector.
By January, we opened the consultation process wider, sending the document out through member alerts and hosting a series of 90-minute online sessions, section by section, where we invited open discussion.
It’s been a five-month process of constant conversation, revision and refinement. And honestly, that’s exactly what it needed to be.
From the beginning, the document was intended to celebrate the work our members are already doing — not tell anyone what they “should” be doing. Our members emphasized this strongly during consultations.
Also, we needed to define sustainability broadly.
Our members pointed out — rightly — that sustainability isn’t just environmental. We expanded the guide to explicitly highlight three key pillars:
- Environmental sustainability — how we care for the land, air, and water.
- Economic sustainability — ensuring businesses can remain viable and thrive.
- Social sustainability — supporting people, communities, and livelihoods.
But here’s what I really want to stress: this isn’t the finish line.
This guide is a living document. It’s a starting point. It’s a tool for our members to use — whether that’s to inform customers, talk to policymakers, guide internal discussions, or spark new initiatives.
If exciting and new practices emerge, we’ll update the Guide. If members want to expand on specific topics, we’ll dig deeper.
This project has reminded me that the strength of Seeds Canada is our members — their passion, their insight, and their commitment to building a stronger, more sustainable future.
I’m proud of what we’ve built together. And I’m even more excited for what’s still to come.
