12-02-2018, 03:23 PM
Family farmers in Mexico are "generating an evolutionary service that is essential for them, for the country and, given the global importance of maize, for the world.”
Scientists say this type of farming, fueled by traditional practices such as saving or sharing seeds from one season to the next, has resulted in Mexico’s 59 native maize varieties: a cornucopia of husks and cobs of all sizes and colors, from deep purple to creamy-white to pink to glowing orange. This diversity is rarely seen in the U.S.—the world’s largest producer of corn. “You go to a farm in Iowa and there may be three million plants, but they’re all genetically identical.” Because American farmers buy their seeds instead of cultivating their own, “there’s no chance for evolution to do its thing.” https://popularresistance.org/small-farm...ity-alive/
Scientists say this type of farming, fueled by traditional practices such as saving or sharing seeds from one season to the next, has resulted in Mexico’s 59 native maize varieties: a cornucopia of husks and cobs of all sizes and colors, from deep purple to creamy-white to pink to glowing orange. This diversity is rarely seen in the U.S.—the world’s largest producer of corn. “You go to a farm in Iowa and there may be three million plants, but they’re all genetically identical.” Because American farmers buy their seeds instead of cultivating their own, “there’s no chance for evolution to do its thing.” https://popularresistance.org/small-farm...ity-alive/
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