Jeremy Turkington.
Orchid and Nursery Manager,
Irish Seed Savers. Scarriff, East Clare.

“I feel a responsibility to try and preserve what we still have for the future”

THE STORY

Meet Jeremy. With his team in Seed Savers he grows, grafts and conserves 180 heritage trees and 650 old irish crops. He is committed to his cause and adamant that “we need to grow our own crops that are adapted to our Irish Atlantic temperate climate, that are resilient, resistant to disease and that can produce calories to sustain ourselves”

Coming home to Ireland after years training for rugby and travelling the world, Jeremy witnessed nature in Ireland disappearing - “hedgerows ripped up and trees pulled out”. He decided to commit his studies and time to creating models, approaches and programmes that promote sustainable agriculture, responsible land management and organic growing.

Jeremy’s journey to working with Seedsavers is filled with purpose and passion, not unlike Seedsavers founder Anita Hayes - an American who moved to Ireland and found love in her mission to save Ireland’s Native Trees and ancient crops.

This is a story of how nostalgia fed one man's mission to create a more nourished Ireland that can feed a nation and provide a food secure future.

THE WHY

Nostalgia I suppose. I want my son and his generation to experience places like this and not empty fields of rye grass that have been scrubbed out for cattle.

THE IMPACT

Planting acorns is a real promise to the future and brings us one step closer to creating a future where people can enjoy wildlife and experience biodiversity in abundance.

THE CHANGE

I ran a school programme called ‘Forest in a Box’. We collected, grew and planted acorns with school children. The same kids that grew those trees take their own kids there now. There is real connection in caring for and planting a tree. It gives a sense of ownership and it works.

THE CHALLENGE

There is lots of land out there that is owned by local authorities that can be turned over for local growing. Get a group together and lobby for that land to be utilised and turned into community allotments or a local urban orchid.

THE HOPE

Our tree sales give me hope. The past three years they have sold out within days and that’s it for the whole year.

THE RECOMMENDATION

BOOK - Dianna Beresford Kroeger, The Global Forest.

To find out more visit irishseedsavers.ie or follow them on Instagram - @irishseedsavers.ie

BACK