IMU Sustainability Student Club hosted an outreach-based educational seminar titled “Sustainability with Natural and Local Seeds” as part of the 4th Istanbul Medeniyet University Sustainability Week, featuring Cenk Barer, the author of “Natural Garden: Grow Your Own Food with Heirloom Seeds”. The event was held on December 27, 2024, at the Ziraat Bank Library Bankkart Conference Hall, Göztepe North Campus, and was specifically organized as outreach education for local people to promote sustainable agricultural awareness. The seminar was held open to the public.
During his presentation, Cenk Barer provided an in-depth discussion on how local heirloom seeds, traditional farming wisdom, and small-scale cultivation methods contribute to the sustainable management of land for agriculture. He emphasized that heirloom seeds are essential not only for food security but also for maintaining biodiversity, preventing land degradation, and supporting ecosystem restoration. Barer highlighted how the preservation of native seed varieties enables farmers and local communities to protect natural habitats, sustain soil fertility, and ensure long-term ecosystem resilience.
The seminar also drew attention to the importance of reducing the pressures on natural ecosystems through sustainable land use practices, responsible water management, and regenerative soil techniques. Participants learned how community-based food production strengthens ecological balance, mitigates the risk of habitat loss, and promotes the conservation of agricultural landscapes. These insights helped demonstrate the direct link between everyday farming decisions and broader environmental outcomes such as conservation of terrestrial ecosystems, restoration of degraded soils, and protection of natural resources.
By offering accessible environmental education for local residents, this event directly supported the United Nations’ SDG 15 (Life on Land) and its related goals of protecting biodiversity, combating land degradation, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Through community outreach focused on seed sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and habitat protection, the programme contributed to raising public awareness about how responsible agricultural practices are essential for safeguarding natural ecosystems and ensuring a sustainable future for coming generations.
In alignment with these goals, the programme concluded with a local seed and flower exchange and distribution, enabling participants to access heirloom seeds and encouraging them to begin their own small-scale, sustainable food production. This practical initiative aimed to empower individuals to support seed sovereignty, strengthen local biodiversity, and engage actively in the sustainable cultivation of their own food.
By combining educational outreach with hands-on community engagement, the event contributed meaningfully to public awareness and action toward sustainable land management, ecological conservation, and long-term food security.
