ABOUT ME
Who Am I?
Hi! I’m Edward Yoon, a high school student at Seoul International School, founder of the SeedUnlocked Project, and co-founder of AI Apis: both youth-led initiatives using AI and ecology to advance environmental justice.
As the leader of SeedUnlocked, I focus on protecting seed sovereignty: the right of communities to preserve and control local plant species essential to ecological resilience and pollinator survival. Combining environmental data science with grassroots knowledge, my work explores how technology can empower local ecosystems rather than exploit them. This approach informed my research on smallholder farmers in India,¹ where I examined how blockchain technology and farmer education programs can help rural communities regain control over their seeds and livelihoods: demonstrating how technological innovation can advance both sustainability and social equity.
At AI Apis, I examine how data and empathy drive environmental action. My study on climate-change media² inspired the To Bee Friends project, which transforms eco-anxiety into empathy and creative stewardship through storytelling and art.
Empowering Smallholder Farmers
in India through Education and Technology.
¹ Yoon, E. (2024). Empowering Smallholder Farmers in India through Education and Technology. International Young Researchers' Conference Journal (2024); DOI: http://doi.org/10.34614/JIYRC202431
Influence of Climate Change-Related Media on Eco-Emotions and Willingness for Pro-Environmental Action.
² Yoon, E. (2023). Influence of Climate Change-Related Media on Eco-Emotions and Willingness for Pro-Environmental Action. International Journal of Science and Research (2023); DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR231109124758;
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Reconnecting to what we have lost.
Seed Unlocked is a multimedia storytelling and research project dedicated to exposing the global crisis of seed monopolies and highlighting the people working to protect seed sovereignty in Korea. What began as a personal inquiry into who controls the seeds that grow our food quickly evolved into a nationwide journey—one that led me to farmers, elders, scientists, and activists across the Korean peninsula.
This website brings together everything I documented and learned along the way: interviews with those on the frontlines of resistance, a growing map of farmer-to-farmer collaboration, data-driven research on seed patent regimes, and a short documentary that captures the emotional and political weight of this issue. At the heart of this project is a belief that seeds should remain in the hands of the people—not locked behind patents, not standardized by corporations, and not erased from cultural memory.
Through an interactive map, an AI-powered Q&A chatbot, and a living network of Korean farmers, this platform aims to inform, connect, and empower. Seed Unlocked is not just about documenting a crisis but about helping grow something stronger in its place: a future rooted in biodiversity, justice, and care.
