The climate crisis is no distant threat — for the world’s 570 million or so smallholder farmers, it’s already making life more difficult. More frequent extreme weather events are scorching crops, disrupting food systems, and intensifying hunger for millions. Over a quarter of the world’s population already faces food insecurity, and with food demand only expected to increase with rising global populations, the challenge of feeding the world on a hotter planet is daunting. Continuing to rely on industrial agriculture — responsible for up to a third of global greenhouse gas emissions — is a surefire recipe for disaster.

But what if a solution to these enormous problems could be found in something as tiny as a seed? Indigenous seeds, valued for their variety and resilience, have the potential to shake up the way we do agriculture. At a time when climate shocks and rising costs are aggravating food insecurity across the world, the stakes are high — here’s why Indigenous seeds could hold the answer to strengthening our food systems from the ground up.

First: What Exactly is a Seed?

In a nutshell (pun intended), seeds are essentially tiny, nutrient-dense genetic vaults, each carrying a unique code that determines how a plant will grow. A seed’s protective coat enables a kind of time travel — tucked inside, would-be plants can lie dormant for years, waiting for just the right conditions to sprout and come to life. 

But not all seeds are created equal. Indigenous seeds — sometimes called native or traditional seeds — have been cultivated over generations to contain unique traits suited to specific environments. For example, tepary beans, native to the arid Southwest US, can thrive with minimal water. Amaranth, a nutritious staple crop of the Incas and Aztecs, is naturally resistant to heat stress. And cassava in Brazil is a drought-resistant staple crop for many Indigenous communities that thrives in dry soils, making it essential for food security in semi-arid climates.

The Roots of Seed Guardianship

Traits like these offer crucial, all-natural buffers against climate-related disturbances. But these adaptations didn’t happen by accident — they were nurtured and preserved by seed guardians, farmers who carefully select, save, and share seeds suited to local conditions over generations. 

This practice is an integral way for communities to preserve culture and exercise food sovereignty. By cultivating and passing down these traditional seeds, seed guardians help maintain resilient, genetically diverse foods so that future generations can adapt to environmental or economic uncertainties.

For most of human history, seed-saving was common practice. But the era of industrialized agriculture starting in the mid-20th century changed everything. 

Traditional vs. Modern Agriculture: Two Systems Diverge

Accelerated by the so-called Green Revolution, industrial agriculture has been defined by the proliferation of wildly successful tactics to boost the production of staple crops, such as wheat and rice, supercharged by the introduction of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. This strategy caused yields to skyrocket, scoring a victory in the fight against hunger. But a laser-like focus on high yields from just a few crops came at a steep cost. 

Today, industrial agriculture is dominated by a handful of corporations that sell genetically-uniform seeds designed for large-scale farming. Strict patent laws prevent farmers from saving, sharing, or replanting these company-owned seeds, forcing farmers to repurchase them every year. These seeds also require a powerful cocktail of chemical inputs, which inadvertently degrade soil health, pollute nearby water sources, and generate greenhouse gas emissions. 

Indigenous farming methods on the other hand support a more sustainable way of growing food. Seed guardians prioritize biodiversity and ecological balance in a way that helps foster resilient ecosystems and  improve soil health, all while allowing farmers to maintain ownership over their crops.

The Dangerous Decline of Seed Diversity

Decades of industrial farming has drastically reduced the diversity within our food system by incentivizing farmers to zero in on these high-yield staple crops. Globally, the world has lost a staggering 75% of crop diversity between 1900 and 2000, and these trends have been observed nearly everywhere. China for instance lost 90% of wheat varieties over a few decades, while Mexico lost 80% of its maize since the 1930s. Today, just 15 crops account for 90% of global production. 

This kind of genetic homogeneity leaves our food system in a precarious position, leaving entire crops vulnerable to climate shocks, disease outbreaks, pests, or other unforeseen emergencies. The consequences can be catastrophic, such as when a disease devastated US corn production in 1970 and cost farmers 15% of their harvest, totaling about $1 billion in losses. History is threatening to repeat itself: Today, a killer fungal infection is plaguing the world’s most common type of banana, putting the entire species and bananas everywhere at risk. 

Seed Guardians at Work in Brazil

That’s why around the world, Indigenous communities are pushing back by reviving seed-saving practices. Reintroducing these traditional practices is critical to ecological restoration. This is especially true in Brazil, where critical biomes are under constant threat from deforestation and industrial farming as Indigenous communities regularly risk their lives to protect their native lands. 

Take for example Brazilian seed guardian Maria Silvani Gonçalves dos Santos, known as Dona Silvani. She has dedicated her life to preserving Creole seeds and agrobiodiversity in the semi-arid Caatinga region, embracing Indigenous traditions despite the challenges posed by modern pressures. “I live in the Caatinga by choice. I could live in the big city with my children and parents, but no, I prefer to live here.”

With support from the the UN agriculture agency IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), Dona Silvani has improved her seed curation efforts by introducing sustainable techniques like cistern irrigation and greywater reuse. “Before, our life was difficult. Water was hard to access. But then the reuse cisterns came in,” she explains. “I reuse the rest of my water because it has a filtration system, and I water my plants, my fruits, and my Creole [seeds] with it,” she explains. 

Benefits for People and Planet

Investing in seeds and agricultural resiliency doesn’t just safeguard food security — it benefits the planet, too. Nature is proven to be healthier on lands managed by Indigenous people, while having just as much, or more, biodiversity than government-protected conservation areas. Scientists are on a mission to preserve the world’s Indigenous seeds, with projects dedicated to safekeeping these crucial seeds popping up all over the world because of their ability to help restore natural habitats in the face of extreme weather.


But they can also help strengthen landscapes today. Agronomist Victor Leonan proved that areas with traditional seed varieties experienced nearly double the amount of biodiversity, and that in turn drove an increase in both plant and animal life. “We observed an increase of 87% of plants in that environment, which shows a regeneration of this flora in the Caatinga, and also the presence of wild animals that had disappeared.” 

Another bonus? Many smallholder farmers who engage in regenerative agriculture see long-term financial gains due to reduced dependency on costly patented seeds and synthetic fertilizers. Explains Leonan, “The idea is that these activities will generate income, economic prosperity, and wealth for the families that manage this system.”

A Future Rooted in Seeds

The climate crisis demands radical shifts in how our world operates, and that includes how we grow our food. Indigenous seed guardians provide a blueprint for a more sustainable future, one that prioritizes long-term resilience over short-term profit.

A resilient food system starts with its seeds. The future of agriculture must be in the hands of the farmers, communities, and seed guardians who have always been safeguarding the planet’s biodiversity for centuries, one seed at a time.