Farmers and agriculture experts founded an “open source” seed initiative to combat global seed monopolies and improve biodiversity​​​​​​​​ Most farmers don’t own the seeds they sow on their fields — they rent them. A few companies have a monopoly on the global seed trade, and breed “cash crops” like corn and soy — with profits as the priority, not biodiversity, world hunger, or small farmers.​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​ To combat that destructive model, in 2012 a handful of agriculture experts founded the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) as an alternative to the monopolies. The model is similar to open source software — someone develops the seeds, and offers the resource for everybody to share.​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​ About 50 seed breeders have already signed on with OSSI in the US to offer nearly 500 seed varieties, and other open source seed organizations are popping up in Europe, Argentina, India and more. ​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​ #CelebrateGoodNews #LookForTheHelpers​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​ ➡️ Tap this post at the link in our bio to read more, including how the initiative even helps fight both world hunger and climate change.