Respect is another one of USC’s core values that Dr. Lotta felt very strongly about, and which still guides us when building partnerships within the Seeds of Survival program.

In another public service announcement, Lotta noted that:

“The USC believes a voluntary agency must never humiliate,
but must create cooperation between human beings, so they
can build a better tomorrow together.” Click here to hear her voice.

In her 1973 lecture at Brock University, Lotta also noted the importance of partnership:

“I am coming back to the word partnership again; partners must be on the same level, otherwise the relationship is degrading both to the donor and to the recipient.” Click here to read more of Lotta’s writings.

Today, USC carries on this tradition, establishing meaningful partnerships with the individuals, groups and communities we are working with. Partnerships built on the utmost respect for the knowledge and skills that these peoples have themselves developed over centuries.

Indeed, one of our most basic values is to respect the time-tested, traditional knowledge of the farming communities we work with around the world. Our Seeds of Survival program has been conceived to build upon and work with, rather than against, these same traditional knowledge systems.