Our difference is our strength

"At the root of everything, Darwin said, is that wonder of wonders, genetic diversity.  You're unlike your sister, a litter of pups is its own small Rainbow Coalition, and every grain of wheat in a field holds inside its germ a slightly different destiny...Genetic diversity, in domestic populations as well as wild ones, it nature's only insurance policy."  

(Barbara Kingsolver, "A Fist in the Eye of God")

Every time an animal or plant species officially makes the endangered or extinct list, we should be worried. Even though my daily life may not be affected by the survival of the purple cornflower prairie plant or the valley elderberry longhorn beatle, we are all connected and dependent upon one another. It is diversity of species that allows for our planet to be healthy, to provide a system of checks and balances so that no ecosystem becomes too tilted.  Every biological strain has survived through adaptation to their environment and in possessing a range of genes that allows the species to survive dry weather, harsh rain or strong sun. 

For a small scale farmer like Chad, planting 40 or 50 variety of tomatoes ensures that he will be able to eat some tomatoes (Lillians Yellow? Green Zebra? Indian Dark Violet Beefsteak?) come July.  Planting a polyculture--of beets, carrots, rhubarb, radishes, peppers, cucnuts, tomatillos--ensures that some percentage of his fields will  produce abundantly.  Just drive through Iowa and see the destruction that can result from cultivating too narrow a genetic stream--flooded corn fields predict a weak crop.  Many farmers have put all their eggs in one basket, rather than sowing widely across the genetic spectrum.

One organization that is dedicated to protecting the diversity that has developed slowly and organically, through the process of evolution over millions of years, is called Seed Savers.  A cooperative of gardeners and farmers who are willing to break out of the mainstream patterns of monoculture farming (corn, soy, Holstein cows for dairy, Angus cows for beef), the Seed Savers save and share heirloom seeds in order to increase or at least maintain the diversity of species. 

Check them out:

www.seedsavers.org