Heirloom Seeds: Interview with Italian author Massimo Angelini
Interview with Massimo Angelini on Heirloom Seeds
In today’s increasingly standardized agricultural scenario, where maximum productivity and patented, industrially grown varieties dominate the market, interest in heirloom seeds is growing. What exactly does this mean? Heirloom seeds are more than just “ancient” or “rustic” varieties; they are living examples of biological diversity and the agricultural knowledge passed down through generations.
In Italy today, it is still possible to freely exchange heirloom seeds, even if they are not officially registered in catalogs. This is possible also thanks to Massimo Angelini‘s contributions. He is a philosopher, rural world researcher, and the director of the “Temposospeso” publishing house. He is also a pioneer of the cultural and political struggle that led to the legalization of non-commercial seed exchange starting in 2000. What does this mean? While selling them for profit is prohibited, farmers, hobby gardeners, and guardians of biological diversity can still exchange seeds: a small yet significant victory for those who believe seeds should remain a common good.
Meanwhile, things are also changing at the European level. The European Commission has proposed a reform to facilitate the circulation of local and biological seed varieties. In Italy, the AVASIM initiative is growing day by day, demanding that heirloom seeds be recognized as a cultural asset worthy of protection and appreciation.
When discussing “heirloom seeds“, I chose to look beyond biological and bureaucratic definitions. Instead, I asked people who are passionate about preserving them what they really mean. In this interview, Massimo Angelini offers a perspective that transcends agriculture. He articulates a vision integrating concepts such as memory, language, shared resources, freedom, and the future.
I will convey his answers to you without alteration, though I am unsure of the success of my translation, as his language is provocative and enlightening in a poetic way, differing from the conventional scientific language associated with this topic. Angelini’s language is not simple definitions or a nostalgic style, but rather a deep, concrete, and radical perspective that challenges many clichés. Therefore, my task is very difficult, and I apologize in advance.
I will now leave you with Massimo Angelini’s impressive wisdom.
Why is it more important than ever to preserve and cultivate heirloom seeds?
I don’t know if cultivating “heirloom seeds” is important, nor do I know why it is important. I also don’t know if “heirloom” is a meaningful term or an imaginary, vague word used to express nostalgia for things that have existed for a long time. Is Senatore Cappelli wheat variety, considered an heirloom seed in Italy, a real heirloom? What about Autonomia, selected in 1938? Are the potatoes that appeared on European tables in the late 18^(th) century heirlooms? If so, which of the more than 1,000 varieties are heirlooms? Why should an heirloom tomato be more valuable than a hybrid? Perhaps because hybrids are thought to be sterile? But that’s not true.
Before addressing these issues, I will try to redefine the terms so that we can understand each other better.
On one side, there are varieties selected by agricultural experts, while on the other side, there are those selected in a laboratory environment (including hybrids and genetically modified ones); beyond these, there are also seeds that have evolved alongside a particular region over time and have been passed down from generation to generation; in this context, the number of generations through which the transfer has occurred—whether few or many—makes no difference, whether few or many. We can define those passed down from older to younger generations as “transferred” or “traditional” seeds. It’s pointless to try to preserve all types of traditional seeds at any cost. After all, nothing in life is obligated to exist—including us humans. Otherwise, there’s a risk of turning the organism in question into a museum piece. However, if there is a reason and meaning to continue passing them on as part of humanity’s heritage, then doing so becomes meaningful and beautiful. It is perhaps important to preserve seeds that have a special taste, durability, or unique character. Similarly, seeds that have evolved alongside a particular region over time deserve protection. Just as we humans adapt to a specific region over time and become distinctive to that place, even if we do not inherently belong there, so too do seeds. This serves as a reason to pass them on from generation to generation. Everyone should seek and find their own reason, but if no valid reason exists (for me, being a museum or collection item is not valid), then their disappearance or extinction is part of life’s natural course.
You say that seeds are more than just simple resources; they are witnesses to time. What can seeds teach us about our relationship with the soil? What happens when we lose them?
"Resource" is an economic concept, and viewing life and its reflections solely through an economic lens can be misleading. Nevertheless, in our modern era, the concept of resources has been generalized to nature, genetics, and human labor. Seed varieties passed down from generation to generation are not just about shape, behavior, and adaptability. They also carry deeper meanings, such as selection, preservation, transmission, agreement, and memory. These concepts are expressions of the abstract idea of nature as the spontaneity of life and integral parts of the concept of culture. Therefore, it is possible to characterize transmitted species and their seeds as material and spiritual heritage—as expressions and documents of life. Losing them can be compared to losing a historical, botanical, and anthropological archive.
You often talk about "returning to the land", yet we live in an increasingly urbanized world. What role can ordinary citizens play in preserving agricultural biodiversity? How can city dwellers participate in this silent revolution if they're not farmers?
In my opinion, an "urban citizen" can do little more than choose traditional varieties over industrial agricultural products when purchasing food.
Finally, I asked Angelini if there was a question about heirloom seeds that needed to be asked but no one had asked him. What uncomfortable truths or important issues are systematically overlooked in public discourse? Here is his response
Who owns these seeds?
In the name of ownership, who should be entitled to the benefits derived from their use?
Without hesitation, I answer that the owners of these heirloom seed varieties are the communities in which these seeds have evolved naturally over time and been passed down from generation to generation. Recognizing this ownership contributes to redefining these seed varieties as common property, which cannot be appropriated, transferred, or prohibited by public institutions or private individuals.
Conclusion
I can’t know how you feel, but I can say that I have been greatly enriched by my experience with Massimo Angelini. The interview we just read reminds us that agricultural biodiversity is not just a technical issue, but also a cultural and ethical one that involves our daily choices. It’s not just about preserving seed varieties; it’s also about deciding which memories we want to pass on to future generations.
I would like to thank Massimo sincerely and remind you that you can explore his ideas in greater detail in his books. Some of these books are:
Ecology of the Word. Peeling Words to Look at Our Time (2024, Temposospeso), and The Almanac 2025: Lunario delle Terre Ligure. A Rural Almanac: Scholarly, Popular, Meteorological, and Cordial (2024, Temposospeso); and Minima Ruralia (2024, Temposospeso). Illustrated Edition (2024, Temposospeso); and Minima Ruralia. Seeds, Peasant Agriculture, and Return to the Land (2023, Semirurali Edizioni).
May the old, traditional, useful, ancestral and heirloom seeds passed down from generation to generation live long, and may all my readers enjoy the revolution
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Heirloom Seeds: Interview with Italian author Massimo Angelini
DescriptionWhat are heirloom seeds, why are they important, and how are they preserved: Angelini, author of The Ecology of Words, explains
