The Bean Keepers Project is a national program, presented in partnership with Seeds of Diversity and Garden Jane, which enables classes and community groups to help protect bean diversity in Canada.

Of the 2,000 types of beans being grown in Canada, the majority of these are rare and at risk of disappearing altogether. The Bean Keepers Project empowers Canadians to literally take their national biodiversity in hand—by growing and caring for one of Canada’s rare bean species.

Evergreen provides beans for free to classes and community groups. These groups plant their beans, and at harvest time send a few seeds from their plants back to Seeds of Diversity for their Seed Bank. As well as saving beans, participants learn about food gardening and help to build soil nutrition in their area.

Bean Keepers support materials, available from Evergreen, include:

• The Bean Keepers Story & song
• Lesson plans
• Bean cookbook

For more information, email Jane Hayes.