There is no better person to tell us how to acquire and enjoy traditional Japanese shiso leaves or the modern honeynut squash than Dr. James Bassett–a Master Gardener, beloved UCLA lecturer, and sustainability non-profit founder. An advocate for urban agriculture, James shares with us resources and tools regarding the practice of seed-saving. We learn how seed saving is a path to improving crop diversity, preserving food culture, and promoting soil and human health for the future.
More about James Bassett
James Bassett serves on the faculty of UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. He holds a B.A. in psychology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology and international business from the Ohio State University. He has served on the board of directors of a natural foods company, was co-founder of a nonprofit group that taught sustainable agricultural methods in Guatemala, and played a leadership role in developing a community garden in South Central Los Angeles. He currently serves as a certified Master Gardener in the University of California’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Division and as a sustaining member of the Urban Agriculture Working Group of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council. He is trained in permaculture design and holds culinary certificates from the California School of Culinary Arts and the Cordon Bleu in Paris.
