Meet Bettina Gerike from Living Seeds Sementes Vivas

Luciana Moraes

4 years ago

Meet Bettina Gerike – Co-founder of Living Seeds Sementes vivas

LM: Bettina, before we dig into the organic world, tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and what were you doing before you joined the project Living Seeds Sementes Vivas, in Portugal.

BG: Luciana, first let me thank you for the invitation to introduce your readers to the work of Living Seeds Sementes Vivas via this interview. I am looking forward to what will certainly be an interesting conversation!

I am originally from Germany. Married twice and blessed with a grown-up son out of my first marriage. Before getting involved withLiving Seeds Sementes Vivas I had a career as PA on management level in the corporate world, my last position was with one of the European institutions in Brussels. Independently from my jobs, I have a passion for the plant world, arts, food/cooking, natural medicine and conscious movement practices. Next to having trained in the Feldenkrais Method, I am at home and striving in conscious dance practices like the 5 Rhythms.

I became a convinced BIO consumer from the moment I started shopping for myself and believe in and practice a 95 % plant-based diet.

LM: Now tell us briefly about Living Seeds Sementes Vivas and how you got involved with the project?

BG: The idea of setting up a seed company goes back to 2014 and having been married to the founder and main investor, Stefan Doeblin, I have been with the project since its very beginning. The idea that emerged at that time with Stefan’s and my growing awareness of the challenges of the seed sector was to initiate production of locally adapted organic seeds for the Mediterranean climate in the Mediterranean. For all the people involved at this early stage (8 co-founders, specialists of all sorts, including me), being part of this (ad-) venture was a huge step in an insecure and unknown future but we all passionately believed in the importance of it and wanted to make this happen. And this spirit still prevails.

Learning about seeds I had two very important realisations: I understood that organic produce was mostly not grown from organic seeds. Having always supposed this I was very upset. Then I learned about hybrid seeds. Having no background in agriculture, I knew about GMO and that was clearly a no go for me, but I didn’t know that there was a whole industry out there breeding and producing sterile seeds. Seeds that the farmer to the contrary of open-pollinated seeds, has to buy again year by year, that are useless if you try to reproduce them. Seeds that are highly efficient but make the farmer and the consumer dependent on a limited choice and their availability offered by a handful of corporations. No food sovereignty there any more at all. Unconsciously I had known that be the growing unease I had while shopping. It had become almost impossible to distinguish organic produce from conventional produce. The varieties, the looks of it, all the same. Now I understood. Organic vegetables were also partly produced with conventional hybrids. Even though I am a bit more at ease with hybrids in the meanwhile, I am firmly supporting Sementes Vivas commitment to open-pollinated seeds.

“It had become almost impossible to distinguish organic produce from conventional produce… Organic vegetables were also partly produced with conventional hybrids.”

LM: A lot is being said about the need to transition from conventional farming to organic farming. What are the essential differences in growing method between the two?

BG: Conventional farming is mostly practised in the context of (super) intensive monocultures and using synthetic pesticides and artificial fertilizers disregarding their adverse effects on the environment to obtain maximized yields. Organic farming, on the other hand, relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions.

Organic farming methods preserve and regenerate the health of soils, respect and sustain ecosystems and biodiversity, with the aim to promote a healthy environment and high-quality food to people. At Living Seeds Sementes Vivas we are convinced that organic agriculture is the agriculture of our future and that this future needs to start NOW

“At Sementes Vivas we are convinced that organic agriculture is the agriculture of our future and that this future needs to start NOW”

LM: What is the difference between conventional seeds and organic open-pollinated seeds?

BG: Organic seeds are grown organically, meaning without chemical and synthetic inputs as described above, so they are true to the expectation and promise of a 100 % organic value chain. That is what our slogan Organic Food from Organic Seeds” stands for. But there is more: an organic seed grown in real-life conditions has been exposed to stress in terms of heat, lack of water, pests, diseases, frost and other hardships and is sustaining itself with onboard a selection of natural means. It has to be strong to survive. That makes it the ideal seed for organic farming. And we believe that the genetic memory that this experience creates, that strength, is on a non-material level an important impulse for our immune system, our vitality.

Up to today most organic produce is grown from conventional seeds. In the last century, a lot of money has been invested in the development/breeding of highly performant seeds for the conventional, intensive, industrialised agriculture. As sad as it is, there are not enough organic seeds on the market to satisfy the needs in term of quantity and quality of especially professional organic farming. This is due to the fact that developing improved varieties takes years of dedicated, specialised work which the organic sector could very simply not afford or only on a very limited scale.

There are a couple of initiatives now, associations, mostly in Central Europe, collecting money from engaged citizens as well as philanthropic funding. There is also, in the meanwhile, more public funding to sustain the organic breeding sector. And it is big time. In 2035 the derogation that farmers can obtain according to European law allowing them to use conventional seed is definitively running out. This will be a big challenge for organic agriculture and Living Seeds Sementes Vivas is working towards contributing to cover the gaps up to this date.

LM: How do horticulture products grown from organic farming differ in nutritional value when compared to conventionally grown ones.

BG: The nutritional value of horticulture products depends, amongst other factors, much on the quality of the soil. If you have rich, alive soil, you will find that your vegetables have more nutritional value and taste better. In very practical terms a vegetable that has not undergone pesticide treatment can mostly be eaten in its entirety. Leaves, roots, skins are parts of the vegetables that often contain a higher nutritional value than the rest of the plant and are often discarded when conventional produce is used.

LM: Your seeds are also biodynamic. What is the difference between organic and biodynamic?

BG: Biodynamic Agriculture is the oldest green farming movement and has been recognised as such worldwide for the quality of its production and nutrient-rich crops. There is a lot of similarities, but biodynamic farming goes further. It is a holistic practice where all things are considered living interrelated systems – animals, plants and the solar system. The biodynamic farmer uses specific preparations made from minerals and herbs – very similar to homoeopathy. These preparations are used for example to enhance the compost applied to the fields.

Biodynamic agriculture also incorporates astrological influences. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of biodynamics, believed that much like the moon affects the tides, so does it affect the growing phases of planting and harvesting.

LM: Many of us would prefer to buy only organic products for health and maybe environmental reasons, but the prices of organic products are usually substantially higher. Why is that so?

BG: Organic agriculture is more labour intensive. Even if machines are involved there is a lot of work left that has to be done manually. Also, the avoidance of chemical and synthetic inputs in terms of plant protection and fertilizers results in lower production. That makes organic produce more expensive.

Several serious recent studies investigating the “real or hidden costs” of conventional agriculture in comparison to organic agriculture come to the conclusion that organic is the “cheaper” option. Much of the damage caused by conventional agricultural practices like the dramatic loss of topsoil up to the point of a total loss of agricultural land, and the devastating loss of biodiversity in terms of plant varieties but also insects, e.g. pollinators and so on and eventually higher costs for the public health sector, given to poorer life quality in general, are compensated by public fund and subsidies, which are mainly taxpayers money. The citizen still pays….

LM: Sementes Vivas also produces, processes, and supplies seeds of “pseudo-cereals”, but also “green manures”. What are they?

BG: True cereals are grasses. A pseudo-cereal is a non-grass: the most commonly known are amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat. They can be prepared in the same way as cereals and are often ground into flour for bread. Pseudo-cereals are very interesting in nutritional terms as a source of protein in the context of a plant-based diet and especially for people with an intolerance to gluten.

Green manure is often a legume-based cover crop sown on agricultural land between or in combination with crops, in order to fertilize the soil mainly through the intake of nitrogen. As a cover crop, they also help to reduce soil erosion and by incorporation, they increase the organic matter in the soil.

“Pseudo-cereals are very interesting in nutritional terms as a source of protein in the context of a plant-based diet and especially for people with an intolerance to gluten. “

LM: You have a volunteer program on the farm. What type of qualifications and characteristics do you look for in a volunteer? How does the volunteer program work?

BG: People with a genuine interest in what we do and a willingness to participate in the work on the farm are welcome to contact us. Accommodation can be arranged on the farm if needed. We appreciate a minimum stay of two weeks, preferably longer.

LM: There is a trend in vegetable gardening at the moment. What are the top critical considerations to have when planning a home production?

BG: First of all, it’s important to assess your growing conditions. What soil type, climatic conditions (how much rain, frost, the intensity of sun/heat), orientation/light. Secondly, you have to plan well your production over the year. Which varieties to plant in which quantities and when. You might want to make a design taking all these details into account. Last, but not least: to avoid disappointment, you want to be realistic with the time you can give to the garden. Home gardening, as rewarding as it is, needs reliable presence and attention.

LM: Which vegetables would you say are easier to grow indoors in the Mediterranean climate, in terms of care and yield? And outdoors?

BG: The beauty of the Mediterranean climate is that it favours growing outdoors. It might require shading for some crops that are sensitive to sunburns like tomatoes or peppers. You would grow indoors/ in a greenhouse to be a bit earlier with some crops or have salads the whole year through.

LM: What is in the horizon for you and Living Seeds Sementes Vivas?

BG: We are multiplying and developing locally adapted open-pollinated seeds for the Mediterranean climate, so we are planning and hoping to be able to enter more markets in this climate zone. We are already present in Spain and making our first steps with a partner in Morocco and other countries will follow suit.

Another important date for us is the end of the derogation regarding the use of conventional seeds in organic agriculture in 2035. Jointly with other organic seed companies, we are working on being able to reply to the always increasing demands in terms of quality and quantity of our customers.

LM: Which markets are you present in and how can our readers purchase your seeds?

BG: Our seeds are available in the meanwhile in many stores in Portugal and Spain. The probably easiest and quickest way to purchase them is on our online store and it’s also there where you are sure to find our whole portfolio www.sementesvivas.bio.

Are you growing your own veggies? Know anyone who is?

If you do, please leave your comments below and share this post with anyone who might benefit from it. Your feedback and engagement is very important to spread our message – we need better health for our bodies, our soils and Mother Earth.

Meet Bettina Gerike – Co-founder of Living Seeds Sementes vivas

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