# 987: Rules for Global Seed Saving with Bill McDorman

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-urban-farm-podcast-with-greg-peterson-1101746/987-rules-for-global-seed-saving-with-bill-mcdorman
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-urban-farm-podcast-with-greg-peterson-1101746/987-rules-for-global-seed-saving-with-bill-mcdorman.md
Podcast: [The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-urban-farm-podcast-with-greg-peterson-1101746)
Published: 2026-05-29T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.urbanfarm.org/category/podcast
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/d951f095-7b1d-4c6e-94dd-87bfb9d3cb81.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-urban-farm-podcast-with-greg-peterson-1101746/episodes/987-rules-for-global-seed-saving-with-bill-mcdorman
Duration seconds: 2700

## Resource

Join our monthly Seed Chat at SeedChat.org In This Podcast: In this monthly Seed Chat, Greg Peterson and Bill McDorman explore the global rules governing seed ownership, seed saving, biodiversity, and agricultural policy. The conversation dives into international treaties, plant patenting, farmers’ rights, and the growing tension between the Global North and Global South over control of genetic resources. Bill shares firsthand experiences attending United Nations treaty negotiations and working with Indigenous seed sovereignty issues through Native Seeds/SEARCH. The episode also highlights why everyday gardeners and farmers should become “seed citizens” by saving and sharing locally adapted seeds. Bill McDorman is a renowned seed saver, educator, and advocate for agricultural biodiversity. He co-founded the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance and has spent decades teaching gardeners and farmers how to grow, save, and share heirloom seeds. Through workshops, speaking, and mentorship, Bill inspires communities to strengthen local food systems, preserve regional seed diversity, and protect seed sovereignty for future generations. Key Topics Seed libraries and locally adapted seed sharing International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) UPOV and global plant variety protection laws World Trade Organization (WTO) seed policy influence Farmers’ rights and seed sovereignty Plant patenting and intellectual property in agriculture Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Nagoya Protocol and access-benefit sharing Digital Sequence Information (DSI) and genetic ownership Native Seeds/SEARCH and Indigenous seed stewardship Organic Seed Alliance and seed policy debates Global North vs. Global South agricultural power dynamics Seed banks and the Multilater…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-urban-farm-podcast-with-greg-peterson-1101746/episodes/987-rules-for-global-seed-saving-with-bill-mcdorman/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-urban-farm-podcast-with-greg-peterson-1101746/987-rules-for-global-seed-saving-with-bill-mcdorman.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.