ABSTRACT
This chapter contextualises seed saving within broader debates on diverse economies and argues sharing practices hold political significance in light of growing corporatisation and regulation of seeds and natures. It discusses the political and theoretical context of seed exchange, and the methodological approach adopted to research sharing relationships, and explores the inherent reciprocities (expectations of return or exchange, imagined and realised) as garden produce is circulated within and beyond organised 'sharing' networks in the UK. Examining the social, emotional, and interpersonal dimensions of garden cultivation and exchange reveals mundane practices of seed sharing are connected by individuals to diverse ethical and political commitments and motivations. The empirical discussion draws out the interrelationship of these factors with attempts to resist, defy or creatively rework consumption and provisioning in light of multidimensional crises: moments of potential difficulty and danger demanding a response, in systems of food and seed production and distribution.
