National Geography: Approaching Food Shortage - Article Example

The second part of the article mentions a farm six miles away from the town of Decorah in Iowa. The farm is about 890 acres and contains a stretch of woods and rolling fields of Heritage crops. This particular farm is known for its practice of letting its crops grow to seeds. It has been named home to the Seed Savers Exchange and is one of the biggest non-governmental seed banks in the United States (Siebert, Charles 6).

An account of Diane Ott Whealy is mentioned concerning the seedlings of Heirloom plant types. And this dates back to the year 1975. It is because of their enthusiasm towards keeping that specific variety of seeds that Diane and her husband Kent decide to build a store. Currently, that store is said to have a membership of about 13,000 people and preserves seeds of several varieties of heirlooms. Considering the increasing food extinction in the world, in the US, 90% of its historic fruits and vegetable varieties have vanished. For instance, of the 7000 apple varieties grown in the 1800s, less than a hundred remain today. The same case is happening in the Philippines where thousands of types of rice once existed: now only less than a hundred are there. Countries like; China, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Sudan are also not exempted. Some other dwindling food varieties include beet, Cabbage, Cucumber, Tomato, Sweet corn, Radish, Peas, Squash, Lettuce and Muskmelon (Siebert, Charles 8).

Another section of the article gives information relating to the present efforts to increase food production in developing continents like Africa. And this is a process that has been considered to bypass the green revolution and might only elevate the pace at which crop species and livestock breeds become extinct. Countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, are said to have sacrificed much of their crops to the mono-cropping of imported, high-yielding ones.

In conclusion, therefore, this article gives ideas relating to why some of our crop varieties and livestock are becoming extinct. And one response is about the present use of high-yielding genetic crops and livestock products. Read More