Did you know that a small number of chemical/pharmaceutical companies control the vast majority of the worlds seed supply? Just 10 companies now control 74% of supply
Intensive agriculture has allowed us to produce considerable food surpluses and will be required in the future to feed the world's growing population across the coming century. However, the mechanical harvest and supply-chain robustness that farmers require, are not the same traits that individual and hobby growers need. Futhermore, the narrow range of varieties that farmers use are a factor in the loss of crop traits that may be useful in for future environmental conditions. Seed marketed nationally/globally cannot by definition be explicitly suited to local conditions.
Many initiatives to address these concerns are taking place at national and international level, for example the Svalbard Global Seed Vault but individuals can make a difference too. Home gardeners and allotment holders were identified by DEFRA as being amognst the groups with a role to play in maintinaing crop genetic diversity in this country2
Seeds are our heritage, often having been passsed down through generations. You can help reclaim that role, assist in presesrving genetic diversity for future generations and at the same time eat like a king!
1 http://www.arc2020.eu/2012/05/seed-diversity-decline-must-urgently-be-stopped
2 http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=IF0164_8210_FRA.pdf
1 . In the UK, Essex used to be the centre of the domestic seed production industry but now we source nearly all of our seed from abroad. This consolidation in the seed production has been compunded by ill judged laws introduced with consumer protection in mind. The result is a loss of the genetic diversity that underpins our food supply. Intensive agriculture has allowed us to produce considerable food surpluses and will be required in the future to feed the world's growing population across the coming century. However, the mechanical harvest and supply-chain robustness that farmers require, are not the same traits that individual and hobby growers need. Futhermore, the narrow range of varieties that farmers use are a factor in the loss of crop traits that may be useful in for future environmental conditions. Seed marketed nationally/globally cannot by definition be explicitly suited to local conditions.
Many initiatives to address these concerns are taking place at national and international level, for example the Svalbard Global Seed Vault but individuals can make a difference too. Home gardeners and allotment holders were identified by DEFRA as being amognst the groups with a role to play in maintinaing crop genetic diversity in this country2
Seeds are our heritage, often having been passsed down through generations. You can help reclaim that role, assist in presesrving genetic diversity for future generations and at the same time eat like a king!
1 http://www.arc2020.eu/2012/05/seed-diversity-decline-must-urgently-be-stopped
2 http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=IF0164_8210_FRA.pdf