Dan Jason (born July 22, 1946) is a Canadian active in food politics, as an opponent of

genetically modified foods Genetically modified foods (GM foods), also known as genetically engineered foods (GE foods), or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. Genet ...

and proponent of heirloom plants and seedbanks. He is a writer, lecturer, and runs a business providing heirloom seeds. Jason is active in

food politics Food politics is a term which encompasses not only food policy and legislation, but all aspects of the production, control, regulation, inspection, distribution and consumption of commercially grown, and even sometimes home grown, food. The co ...

, being an outspoken opponent of genetically modified seeds, patents on living organisms, and

industrial agriculture Industrial agriculture is a form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of crops and animals and animal products like eggs or milk. The methods of industrial agriculture include innovation in agricultural machinery and far ...

in general. He frequently gives lectures at environmental and horticultural events in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, including Seedy Saturday. He was involved in the founding of Seeds of Diversity Canada and the Seed and Plant Sanctuary for Canada; both are seed banks whose mission is to preserve varieties of vegetables and crops. He is the founder and owner of Salt Spring Seeds, a mail order

seed company Seed companies produce and sell seeds for flowers, fruits and vegetables to commercial growers and amateur gardeners. The production of seed is a multibillion-dollar business, which uses growing facilities and growing locations worldwide. While ...

that specializes in heritage and heirloom varieties of vegetables and plants. Popular varieties include

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es, lettuce, and grains. The company, founded in 1988, has stocks of many unusual seeds including over 150 tomato varieties. Jason currently lives on

Salt Spring Island Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled b ...

with his wife Celeste.

Publications

He has written several books including: ''The Whole Organic Food Book: Safe, Healthy Harvest from Your Garden to Your Plate'', and most recently ''Saving Seeds as if Our Lives Depended on it''. Jason has been interviewed and been published in a number of publications, including: The Georgia Straight,

Canadian Organic Growers Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Magazine, Seeds of Diversity Canada Magazine, Mother Earth News, Global Public Media, and Salt Spring News. There is a documentary about Dan Jason: '' Gardens of Destiny''. In this 75 minute production, filmmaker, Jocelyn Demers meets Dan Jason on Salt Spring Island. Dan has been a longtime critic of the non-organic

food system The term food system describes the interconnected systems and processes that influence nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients ...

in North America. Jocelyn Demers explores Dan's garden and investigates what other experts from the agriculture milieu think about Dan's observations and initiative.

References

External links

Website of Salt Spring Seeds

Website of the Seed and Plant Sanctuary for Canada

Website of Seeds of Diversity Canada

Website of Seeds of Diversity Canada

Books he has written, available through Amazon
Canadian environmentalists Businesspeople from British Columbia People from the Capital Regional District Living people 1946 births Place of birth missing (living people) {{Canada-business-bio-stub, Jason, Dan