Breeding requires long-term commitment. A new variety takes 10 to 15 years to develop. A breed or crop only survives if it is maintained every year. This work happens long before any food is produced, and cannot be sustained through the sale of individual products.
In the TEIKEI Network, the principle therefore applies: breeders can also be supported long-term by the entire network. The approach is a dedicated cost contribution for seed production and breeding: a minimal basic cost contribution that members pay monthly and that goes to the breeders.
- The entire network contributes. Breeding benefits everyone, not just those who receive a particular food.
- The contribution is as minimal as possible. Because many contribute, it remains small for each member. Nevertheless, it helps stabilize seeds and breeding.
- It is a separate contribution. It is not part of the basic cost contribution that supports the shared infrastructure. What the basic cost contribution funds is described on the page What the Membership Finances.
- It is paid monthly. Breeding requires reliability over years, not one-time payments.
- It goes to the breeders. This supports the work at the root of the food supply.
flowchart LR
M[Members across the network]
Z[Breeders]
P[Farms and producers]
M -->|monthly basic cost contribution| Z
Z -->|seeds, planting material, animals, crops| P
P -->|food| M
The basic cost contribution makes visible what a farm needs to operate at all. It does not ask what a product earns on the market, but what the work requires to be sustainable in the long term.
This applies to breeding to an even greater extent:
- Costs arise years before the first harvest.
- Sales of seeds and licensing fees are insufficient for organic breeding (Wirz, Kunz, Hurter 2017).
- Maintenance does not produce a new product; it keeps existing ones alive.
|
Basic cost contribution for a farm |
Basic cost contribution for breeding |
| What is supported |
The foundation of a farm: labor, care, soil, water, infrastructure |
Work on varieties, breeds, and crops: breeding, maintaining, propagating |
| Who contributes |
Members and communities connected to the farm |
Members across the entire network |
| Frequency |
Depending on the farm and community |
Monthly |
| Amount |
Based on the farm’s reality |
As minimal as possible |
- They belong to the same category as farms and producers. Breeding is the first step in the responsibility chain.
- They provide what farms and businesses work with: seeds, planting material, animals, and crops.
- They receive feedback from what farms experience in cultivation, in the barn, and in processing. This allows varieties, breeds, and crops to continue developing.
- They are supported by the network and do not have to finance their work solely through sales.
Who qualifies as a breeder is described in the glossary entry Breeder.
The idea of collectively supporting breeding also exists outside the TEIKEI Network:
- Breeding per mille: A small percentage on food is discussed, which flows into breeding (Wirz, Kunz, Hurter 2017).
- Foundations and funds: Breeding initiatives are supported through long-term commitments (Wirz, Kunz, Hurter 2017).
- Steering levy: In Swiss organic fruit growing, a levy on non-organic planting material reduces the cost of organic young trees from Swiss organic nurseries (bioaktuell.ch).
- Volunteering and patronage: At ProSpecieRara, volunteers maintain varieties, and patrons support the foundation.
The TEIKEI Network’s approach differs in that the contribution is not tied to individual products. It is supported as a shared foundation.
- How high the contribution will be exactly and how it will be calculated. What is certain: as minimal as possible.
- Which breeders it will go to and who decides.
- How it will be visible in the Agora.
- How breeders can make their work and their basic costs visible, just as farms do for the basic cost contribution.
¶ Further Information & Understanding Context
↑ One level up: Seeds and Breeding
By Felix Schröder, with support from AI (Claude)
Created on October 10, 2026 · Last updated on October 13, 2026
Questions or feedback? support@teikei.us