The power of the seed: what is the real impact of seed collection on women's lives?
Sementes de Mulher (Women's Seeds) is a research project that aims to understand and measure the impact of native seed collection on the lives of women collectors in the Xingu Seed Network.
It is a quantitative and qualitative survey that examines the effects of seed collection across the following dimensions:
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Financial
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Support networks and bonds of affection
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Knowledge acquired
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Purpose and recognition
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Mental health
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Life transformation
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Leadership and agency
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Spirituality
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Overall meaning of seed collection
Why does it matter?
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Because the majority of people (~80%) who collect seeds in the Xingu Seed Network – and in other community seed networks – are women.
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Because we have always said that this work transforms their lives, but we have not yet researched this systematically with rigor. By gathering this evidence, we seek to strengthen the argument that seed collection is a powerful instrument for social, economic, and environmental change.
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The results may also inform future public policies and projects aimed at integrating women into ecological restoration and sustainability efforts.
What has been done so far?
Since April 2025, 24 women have already been interviewed, including:
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16 Indigenous women from 7 ethnic groups and two Indigenous territories
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Six family farmers from three rural settlements
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Two urban extractivists from one municipality
The diversity of these women reflects the diversity engaged in native seed collection within the Xingu Seed Network: beyond their different origins and territories, they include women between the ages of 18 and 65, who began collecting at different times between 2007 and 2024.
And some initial results...
We are still analyzing the survey results, but some interesting numbers we already have are:
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Financial: 100% feel autonomous (fully or partially); 75% collect weekly/daily; income ranges from R$0 to R$20,000/year.
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Support network: 100% feel part of a network; 100% admire their fellow collectors; 83.3% have made new friendships.
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Knowledge: 100% have learned something new; 79.2% have learned "a lot"; 75% have already taught others how to collect.
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Purpose and recognition: 100% feel they contribute to nature preservation; 100% feel proud to be collectors; 66.7% feel valued by their community.
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Mental health: 100% feel happier/more fulfilled – collection is therapy for all of them, easing their minds and bringing joy; 95.8% use collection to cope with problems.
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Life transformation: 66.7% have experienced something they never imagined; 83.3% feel stronger/more confident; 95.8% have become a reference for their family, community, or the Xingu Seed Network itself.
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Leadership and agency: 75% have participated in training; 54.2% hold formal leadership positions; 79.2% feel more confident to lead.
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Spirituality: 70.8% say that collecting has a spiritual dimension; 91.7% feel that collection brings them closer to the land.
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Overall meaning of native seed collection in these women's lives: "Life, hope, new beginning, transformation, everything, it's good, pride, joy" are some of the keywords mentioned by them.
95.8% want to continue collecting five years from now.
