Seed Diversity

August 25, 2007

The latest New Yorker features an article by John Seabrook on the creation of a global seed bank (the article is not online, but audio discussion by the author is available here). The New Yorker regularly publishes articles that take a historic perspective on foods and drinks. This concern for preserving odd corners of our shared human past.. even in its details.. is a priority that is shared by Old Roads (see here).

The goal of the global seed bank is to preserve the agricultural diversity of our planet.. a diversity which is fast fading. Seabrook notes:

A survey in 1983 found that, since 1903, the number of readily available varieties of cabbage dropped from five hundred and forty-four to twenty-eight; carrots dropped from two hundred and eighty-seven to twenty-one... [67]

This plummeting of diversity is due in part to the dominance of genetically modified seeds, as well as to the commercial tendency to mass produce. The result is evident in our supermarkets: fruits and vegetables that look exactly as we expect them to. One response to this homogeneity would be to excuse it as a result of consumer preference.. but the better answer is that these are the varieties whose yield is highest.. and which are easiest to ship.

The fact that our taste buds did not drive the centralization of varieties has opened the door for the current resurgence of locally grown foods. Emily is way ahead of me on these things, and she has gotten us a share of a CSA (community supported agriculture) outfit this summer. Plus, she regularly brings home odd looking heirloom tomatoes from the Saturday farmer's market. These are treats that are possible because the taste of locally grown varieties is genuinely better than what is available in supermarkets.

My mind drifts to all those varieties that are being forgotten but which would not be an improvement on the food we eat today. The goal of the seed bank is pragmatic: to prepare for the future by preserving genetic codes that could prove useful in an emergency or in unknown conditions. The goal of farmers markets is clear too: to sell food to consumers that fits their taste. But our interest here at Old Roads is more backward looking. We think it is important for people now to be able to look back and imagine where human beings have come from. When old texts mention wheat or apples or corn.. well, what were they thinking of? Are there ways to keep that kind of traditional knowledge present?

The story of seeds turns out to be the story of many aspects of human experience. On the linguistic and cultural level too, humans are paring down their diversity. Biodiversity at all levels is expected to be challenged in the coming century. This effort at preserving seeds can function as something of a meta-model for the preservation of other things..