Today, you can find dozens of flavors of ice cream and potato chips in the supermarket, but the milk comes from only a few breeds of cows and only a handful of potato varieties are used. A study by the International Potato Center predicts that 13 wild potato species could be extinct by 2050. Apples are also disappearing; a 1905 book called “The Apples of New York” documented hundreds of varieties, but most have since disappeared, including the vanilla-flavored “Virginia Greening” from the 18th century. Like milk, apples and potatoes, food varieties are disappearing around the world at an alarming rate, reports PBS in The lexicon of sustainability.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, more than 90 percent of crop species have disappeared in the last 100 years and today just nine crop species account for 66 percent of total crop production. “Over the last 50 years, we’re seeing dietary habits around the world changing and becoming more and more similar – what we call a ‘globalised diet,'” Colin Khoury, a scientist at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia, told the BBC. “This diet consists of large, important crops such as wheat, rice, potatoes and sugar.” He added that the decline in crop diversity in the globalised diet has limited the production of more nutrient-dense foods. According to Khoury, crops such as millet, rye, yams, sweet potatoes and cassava have all been in decline over the past decade.
Although there are over 50,000 edible crops on the world’s farmland, according to the FAO, just three of them – rice, maize and wheat – provide 60 percent of the world’s food energy. So what’s happening? Why is crop diversity on the verge of extinction? According to PBS, the answer lies in the seeds. Traditionally, farmers grew and shared these seeds, but today most seed production is controlled by a select few companies. In addition, the DNA of the seeds also appears to have been altered, a process known as “genetic modification.”
Another factor is “agriculture”. With the advent of advanced technology, modern agriculture is very different from that of earlier times. These intensive farming practices are causing the quality of soils around the world to decline, according to the BBC. As the layer of fertile topsoil becomes thinner, it is much less suitable for growing food. The result is a worrying disappearance of crops. To solve the problem of crop extinction, many people are taking action. For example, there are now seed banks such as “The Svalbard Global Seed Vault”, also called the “Doomsday Seed Vault”, which store seeds from all over the world.
In addition to these banks, experts recommend that farmers familiarize themselves with “agricultural biodiversity,” also called “agrobiodiversity.” According to The Counter, agrobiodiversity is the foundation of agriculture and food and results from the connection between microorganisms, plants and animals, as well as the quality of nutrients in the soil.
Moreover, the solution also lies in what people eat and how they think about food and farming. “The revolution starts here, on our plates, by looking at the cornerstones of our diets and making simple changes. The way to take back that power is to understand why we eat what we eat. And to understand what we are losing – so we know what we can gain back,” wrote Preeti S. Sethi in her book Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love.
