QUEBEC

THE REGION OF QUEBEC

Quebec has a strong food culture and places a high value on local, organic food and heritage seed varieties that are linked to Quebec’s rich history and identity. There is a very active community of seed savers and gardeners, as evidenced by the strong participation at Seedy Saturdays throughout the province. There are also a number of new seed companies and dynamic organic farms working to prioritize organic research and grow high quality organic seed. 

Over the past 5 years, our program has been multiplying its partnerships in the region and is now working with a dozen vegetable and cereal crops. Our current priorities include supporting farms to adapt or improve cultivars and grow them in sufficient quantities to supply seed companies and commercial farms. The program is also working to encourage on-farm seed production for cereal producers and increase access to seed of niche crops.

FARMER STORIES

E-newsletter

This is where you’ll find information specific to the Quebec programming of The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security.To receive updates on program activities , including training events, funding opportunities, and more, please sign-up for the Quebec program newsletter by clicking here. This newsletter is distributed approximately once every two or three months and you always have the option to unsubscribe. Take a look at our newsletter archive here.

GET IN TOUCH

Hugo Martorell is the Regional Coordinator for the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security for Quebec. You can reach Hugo by email at hmartorell@weseedchange.org

If you want to stay in touch, share pictures, promote events and meet a community of growers, breeders and foodies in Quebec, we invite you to join the Facebook Group "Bien semer, bien manger avec Sème l’avenir".

CURRENT PROGRAMS

-- Demonstration garden at Ferme la Radicule in Manseau, in Centre-du-Québec, programming specialized training activities and pilot projects (garlic, cover crops)

-- Coordination of the Quebec Regional Organic and Diversified Farm Trial Network with the Coopérative pour l’agriculture de proximité écologique ;

-- Creation of a guide to produce seeds on organic and diversified farms with Ferme Coopérative Tourne-sol ;

-- Accompaniment and networking of vegetable farms to create  new varieties, produce on-farm seeds and technical support for new seed compagnies ; 

-- Development of organic potato varieties with farms and the Consortium de recherche sur la pomme de terre du Québec.  

-- Pilote program « Niche cereal crops » coordinating farmers, researchers and buyers to improve access to seeds and adapt cultural practices (ex : quinoa, pulses, ancient grains, etc.) ; 

For more information about other training opportunities with partner organizations contact the regional coordinator.

PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS

Please note these resources are available in French.

-- Participatory Plant Breeding of Potatoes in Quebec: Final Report (2024)

--Trial report: Yellow Bean Variety Trials (2022-2023)

--WikiMaraicher (2023)

--Conference proceedings: From Seeds to Territories: A Transatlantic Conversation - Organic Seed Alliance (2022)
-- AgriReseau Action Plans: Organic Seeds and Adapted Varieties in the provincial Grains Sector and Vegetable Sector
-- SeedChange Presentation: Variety Needs Assessment of Diversified Organic Farmers (2018)
-- SeedChange Presentation: Building a Stronger Seed System in Quebec for Organic and Ecological Vegetable Seeds (2018)
-- Co-op Agrobio Report: Trial and Varietal Development Report on Organic Flint Corn (2015).
-- Co-op Agrobio Presentation: Seed Saving and Selection of Open Pollinated Organic Corn (2018)
-- CETAB+ Report: Evaluation of PPB Potato Breeding Lines (2017)
-- CETAB+ Presentation : Evaluation of PPB Potato Breeding Lines (2017)
-- MAPAQ Report: Trial Results of Bush Bean Varieties (2018)
-- CETAB+ Presentation: Trial Results of Storage Carrot and Watermelon (2019-2020)

For more information about the seed sector and on-farm research, please visit our resources webpage.

TOOLS & ONLINE SURVEYS

-- Survey: Canadian Vegetable Seed Production Training Needs Assessment
-- Survey: Medium Scale Equipment Needs Assessment. [Available in French.] 
-- Informal Farmer Assessments on Seeds and Adapted Varieties (Archives RJME, 2013-2019). [Available in French.] 

For other tools and resources, please visit our training resources webpage.

QUEBEC PROGRAM IN THE NEWS

-- Le Devoir, 13 mai 2017. Chronique de Lise Gobeil. Diversité des semences et approvisionnement local. [Available in French.] 
-- HRImag, 27 septembre 2017, Billet de Pierre-Alain Belpaire. « De la semence à l’assiette » : Un parcours encore trop compliqué. [Available in French.] 
-- La Terre de chez nous, Article de Josianne Desjardins. Le mentorat au services des nouveaux semenciers. [Available in French.]                                                        
--L'info de la lièvre. 16 octobre 2019. Article de Murielle Yockell. Produire des grains 100 % biologiques, c'est possible. [Available in French.] 

PARTNERS

There is a rich movement for good seed in Quebec. We work with farms and organizations across Quebec to implement our training, networking and applied research programs. We are particularly thankful to the community of gardeners, farmers and professionals who collaborate with us. 

Arrivage [Gardiens de semences]

Association des marchés publics du Québec 

Bishops University [Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems]

Boulangerie Automne 

La Centrale Culinaire 

Fleuron [Goût du grain]

Canadian Organic Growers [Organic Seed Vegetable E-Learning Course]

Centre de recherche sur les grains 

Centre de transfert en agriculture biologique et de proximité 

Community Seed Network | Réseau des semences communautaires 

Coopérative pour l’agriculture de proximité et écologique 

Coopérative agrobio du Québec

Coopérative biograins des Hautes Laurentides

Consortium de recherche sur la pomme de terre du Québec 

Ferme Coopérative Tourne-sol 

Organic Seed Alliance 

McGill University [Pulse Breeding and Genetics Research Lab]

Ministère de l’agriculture, des pêcheries et de l’alimentation

Québec Vert [Les Exceptionnelles]

Récolte

Santropol Roulant  

SeedLinked 

Semences du patrimoine 

Union des producteurs agricoles

University of Wisconsin-Madison [Northern Organic Variety Improvement Collaborative, Seed to Kitchen Collaborative, Tomato Organic Management and Improvement]

For a full list of our partners and supporters in the region, please click here.