Kent Whealy
| Kent Whealy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Kansas |
| Occupation | Philanthropist, Activist |
| Spouse(s) | Dianne Ott (m. 1973–2004) |
Kent Whealy (born 1946) is an American activist, journalist and philanthropist who co-founded Seed Savers Exchange and has promoted organic agriculture and the saving of heirloom seeds.[1] Raised in Wellington, Kansas he was inspired by the works of agricultural geneticists Jack Harlan and H.Garrison Wilkes to use his training in communications to promote the protection of genetic diversity in agriculture.[2]
Career
Kent Whealy graduated from the University of Kansas in 1969[3] with a degree in journalism.[4] He started a family garden in 1975 which through various land acquisitions he helped developed into the Heritage Farm[5] six miles north of Decorah, Iowa growing nearly 2,000 varieties of vegetables.[6]
In 1990 Whealy received a Fellowship from the MacArthur Fellows Program for his work in agriculture.[7]
Seed Savers Exchange
Whealy co-founded Seed Savers Exchange, Inc. in 1975 with then wife Diane Ott publishing an annual yearbook identifying heirloom seed varieties available for sale in North America.[8] The organization evolved into a private seed bank, collecting and saving heirloom varieties of vegetable, fruit and grain seeds. In 1985 the group extended its reach to include maintaining an ancient rare breed of White Park cattle.[9] Whealy left Seed Savers board in 2007.[10][11] By the time of his split with the organization Whealy and then former wife Dianne Ott were credited with helping to create one of the largest nongovernmental seed banks with more than 25,000 varieties.[12][13]
Ceres Trust
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In 2009 Whealy became a trustee with the Ceres Trust. Via the Ceres Trust Whealy funds research and advocacy campaigns in support of organic agriculture.[14][15] Their initiatives include academic research and consumer education campaigns including funding for the production and promotion of documentaries including Sandra Steingraber’s movie Living Downstream[16] on the dangers of pesticides and The Vanishing of the Bees[17] on the role pesticides play in Colony Collapse Disorder, and other advocacy in partnership in support of organic agriculture with the Pesticide Action Network advocacy group.[18][19]
Advocacy
Whealy has been an outspoken supporter of organic agriculture and the Slow Food movement[20] and critic of pesticides and genetically modified crops calling their use “immoral.”[21] In 2012 he was listed among the largest financial donors in support of a California ballot initiative campaign to label foods derived from genetically engineered plants and animals.[22]
Bibliography
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References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />- ↑ Genetic erosion threatens crop strains, by Greg Smith, Los Angeles Times, May 7, 1989.
- ↑ Saving of Seeds of the World, by Kent Whealy, Earth Island Journal, 1999.
- ↑ Seeds Savers Week Proclamation, Office of the Mayor of Lawrence, Kansas, April 19, 2005.
- ↑ The Plowboy Interview Kent Whealy, Mother Earth News, January/February 1982.
- ↑ Food Ark, by Charles Sieber, National Geographic Magazine, July 2011.
- ↑ Seeds of promise, by Alan Pell Crawford, Vegetarian Times, April 1, 2005.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The Plowboy Interview, Mother Earth News, 1982.
- ↑ Ancient cattle breed preserved at Seed Savers, by Marlene Lucas, Associated Press, April 12, 2004.
- ↑ Seed Savings and Seed Banks, by Andrew Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety, 2012.
- ↑ Kent Whealy’s Speech at the Land Institute September 26, 2010: The Documenting of Heritage Apples – Part 2, by K. McDonald, Big Picture Agriculture, October 5, 2010.
- ↑ Sow What? Savings Seeds Ensures Plenty, by Barbara Damrosch, The Washington Post, August 6, 2009.
- ↑ Controversy With The Doomsday Vault, by Deniza Gertzberg, GMO Journal, March 22, 2012.
- ↑ Ceres Trust announces competition for $500,000 in organic research grants, New Agriculture Network, June 9, 2009.
- ↑ Ceres Trust Mission Statement, Ceres Trust website, accessed December 2012.
- ↑ Living Downstream in the Community, The People’s Picture Company, 2012.
- ↑ The Vanishing of the Bees, Grantmakers in Film & Electronic Media, 2010.
- ↑ National Organic Coalition 2012 budget, National Organic Coalition, February 9, 2012.
- ↑ Kent Whealy’s Speech at the Land Institute September 26, 2010: The Documenting of Heritage Apples – Part 1, by K. McDonald, Big Picture Agriculture, October 5, 2010.
- ↑ Generosity to farmers crops up, by Shiela Stroup, Times Picayune, June 15, 2006.
- ↑ New Technology Would Help Seed Companies Protect Research Investments, by Lance Nixon, Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News (Aberdeen American News), August 8, 1999.
- ↑ Prop. 37 backers vow to continue food regulation efforts, by Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times, November 7, 2012.
- ↑ Books by Kenty Whealy, Amazon.com, author’s page accessed December 2012.
