Role of SeedChange in the funding ecosystem
SeedChange is a Canadian non-profit organization that supports small-scale farmers and farming communities in Canada and internationally. Building on roots that go back to 1945, when it was founded as the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada (later USC Canada), the organization focuses on food sovereignty, ecological agriculture and biodiversity. It works through local partner organizations that deliver programs on the ground, while SeedChange provides financial support, technical expertise and advocacy.
SeedChange explicitly positions itself as a funder for partners’ work in sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty. Through domestic and international programs, it channels donations and other resources to community-based organizations and farmer groups that preserve seed diversity, adopt agroecological practices and improve access to healthy food. Impact data on the site highlights support to tens of thousands of farmers and hundreds of communities worldwide.
General themes and types of support
The organization’s funding and program activities centre on several themes: keeping seeds in farmers’ hands, protecting farmers’ rights, promoting ecological food systems and countering inequity in the food system. SeedChange supports initiatives that conserve and diversify seeds, improve climate resilience, and strengthen local food systems. Funding is complemented by training, knowledge-sharing and incubation of innovative practices that can be scaled or replicated in other regions.
SeedChange works across Canada and multiple countries, partnering with local NGOs, cooperatives and farmer organizations that understand their regional context. As a facilitator, trainer, incubator and influencer, it combines grantmaking with capacity building and policy advocacy, aiming to create structural change that benefits small-scale farmers.
Supported audiences and overall impact
SeedChange primarily serves smallholder and family farmers, seed savers and rural communities facing challenges related to hunger, poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss. By investing in partner-led projects, it seeks to strengthen livelihoods, protect ecosystems and achieve more just and resilient food systems. The organization’s long history and global reach position it as a key actor in the field of food sovereignty and agroecological development funding.