Help Fund Scholarships for the Ira Wallace Seed School

Support the Next Generation of BIPOC Seed Stewards: Help UCFA Fund Scholarships for the Ira Wallace Seed School

We invite you to plant the seeds of change by supporting scholarships for The Ira Wallace Seed School, a powerful new program of the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance (UCFA). UCFA is a program of the 501c3 non-profit STEAM ONWARD.

Named in honor of our founding granny, Ira Wallace—a visionary elder, master seedswoman, and lifelong advocate for food sovereignty—this school embodies her legacy and lifelong commitment to BIPOC farmers.

The Ira Wallace Seed School was created to give BIPOC growers the skills, knowledge, and moral, political, and historical framework needed to become ethical seed practitioners and leaders in the seed sovereignty movement. From hands-on seed saving and breeding techniques to discussions rooted in justice and community resilience, our curriculum empowers a new generation of growers to protect and preserve culturally meaningful seeds.

Your donation will help fund full and partial scholarships so that tuition is never a barrier for aspiring seed stewards from historically marginalized communities.

With your support, we can:

• Train BIPOC growers in the critical craft of seed keeping

• Uplift ancestral agricultural traditions

• Cultivate leaders rooted in justice, ecology, and legacy

Help us grow a future rooted in freedom, food sovereignty, and intergenerational knowledge. Make your donation today and honor Ira Wallace’s enduring legacy.

 

Who Is Ira Wallace?

They call her the godmother of southern seeds. Lovingly many refer to her as Mama Ira. Gardener, author, and teacher, Ira Wallace is notably associated with the cooperative heirloom seed company, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, where she serves in a managerial capacity. Wallace's work extends into the realm of seed conservation, focusing on heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, which are pivotal for biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. Her efforts were highlighted in the 2014 documentary "Open Sesame – The Story of Seeds," which underscores the challenges faced by advocates for non-GMO seeds in preserving seed sovereignty.

Ira Wallace's journey into the world of organic farming and seed saving was influenced by her experiences during her college years, where she co-founded an organic gardening co-op, and her travels to organic farms around the globe, including in Israel, Denmark, and Ontario. Wallace has served as a board member for the Virginia Association for Biological Farming, Open Source Seed Initiative and Organic Seed Alliance. She was the recipient of the 2016 Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2019 American Horticultural Society's Paul Ecke Jr. Commercial Award and the 2019 recipient of the Organic Growers School's Organic Educator Award. In June of 2023, Wallace won a James Beard Leadership Award, being recognized “for her impactful work and leadership as a writer, gardener, and educator." Settling in the Twin Oaks community in the 1980s, she has since dedicated her life to the cultivation of plants and the sharing of knowledge on sustainable agricultural practices.​

During the Fall 2023 UCFA Convening, held in Accokeek, Maryland, UCFA members surprised Wallace with the announcement that they were forming “The Ira Wallace Seed School”, a new UCFA program, with the mission to give BIPOC growers the skills, knowledge, as well as the moral, political, and historical framework to become ethical seed practitioners. Ira Wallace is a founding granny of Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance.

An idea dreamed up by Mama Ira Wallace herself and pushed into reality by UCFA co-founder Bonnetta Adeeb, the Ira Wallace Seed School is being brought to fruition by an amazing team of heirloom seed saving, and seed farming practitioners including Ira Wallace and Nate Kleinman as Lead Mentors, with Amirah Mitchell, Reggie Blackwood, Veronica Limeberry, and Chris Keeve as Lead Facilitators. Other organizers include Tomia MacQueen and Roxanne Masters, as well as seed school alums now joining the planning committee, Kaitlyn Walsh and Dail Chambers.

Over the long run we envision The Ira Wallace Seed School becoming a comprehensive institution, focused on teaching students from communities that are underrepresented in the seed industry and who have historically not benefited from participation in the agricultural sectors of the U.S. economy.

Why is Increasing BIPOC Seed Farmers Important?

Increasing heirloom seed farmers is essential for food sovereignty, cultural preservation, and ecological resilience. A special focus of the IWSS is preserving “culturally meaningful seeds.” Many heirloom crops—like collard greens, field peas, okra, amaranth, bitter melon, squash, and millets—carry deep cultural significance and ancestral ties. When BIPOC farmers steward these seeds, they help preserve culinary traditions, farming practices, and spiritual relationships to the land.

In addition, seed saving is a form of self-determination. For communities historically excluded from land ownership, agricultural resources, and decision-making, reclaiming control over seeds is a powerful tool for building autonomy.

Most importantly, heirloom varieties often have unique adaptations to pests, diseases, and climate stressors. Drawing on traditional ecological knowledge BIPOC farmers, play a vital role in maintaining and expanding this genetic diversity. Preserving a diverse supply of climate adapted culturally meaningful heirloom seeds and crops supports a more resilient food system—one better equipped to withstand climate change and ecological disruptions.

By increasing the number of BIPOC heirloom seed farmers, we don’t just diversify agriculture—we restore cultural memory, reclaim stolen legacies, and plant seeds for a more just, equitable, and sustainable food future.