Survival
A significant proportion of the world's farmers grow landraces. Data collected for a study of the spread of cereal agriculture into Europe showed that landraces have largely fallen out of use in Europe. European cereal landraces were mainly grown by farmers before breeders started to improve the varieties in the 20th century.
Some landraces have survived in Europe, having been handed on from one generation of farmers to the next. Elsewhere, landraces and traditional varieties have been revived by enthusiasts who seek to preserve their agricultural and culinary heritage. Landraces and traditional varieties are valued for uses as diverse as ingredients in traditional food and drinks and as raw materials for thatching.]) to source the specific facts provided by this reference. from January 2012">clarification needed]]]
There have been systematic efforts to preserve European cereal landraces either in germplasm collections or in situ. The activities of these collections are coordinated by Bioversity International. This organisation coordinates information on conservation activities, including a searchable online database of germplasm collections. However, more needs to be done, Regine Anderson argues, because plant genetic variety depends on a diversity of landraces.]]
Read more about this topic: Landrace
Famous quotes containing the word survival:
“...I have a duty to speak the truth as I see it and to share not just my triumphs, not just the things that felt good, but the pain, the intense, often unmitigating pain. It is important to share how I know survival is survival and not just a walk through the rain.”
—Audre Lorde (1934–1992)
“We never stop investigating. We are never satisfied that we know enough to get by. Every question we answer leads on to another question. This has become the greatest survival trick of our species.”
—Desmond Morris (b. 1928)
“We hold on to hopes for next year every year in western Dakota: hoping that droughts will end; hoping that our crops won’t be hailed out in the few rainstorms that come; hoping that it won’t be too windy on the day we harvest, blowing away five bushels an acre; hoping ... that if we get a fair crop, we’ll be able to get a fair price for it. Sometimes survival is the only blessing that the terrifying angel of the Plains bestows.”
—Kathleen Norris (b. 1947)