A project, coordinated by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, has started to search for food crops with characteristics that will be able to weather changes in the climate. These “climate proof” crops are being found through searching national seed banks and screening seeds to find ones with natural resistance to temperature swings, droughts and floods. In order to avoid a food production crisis during such events, these crops must produce more food on the same amount of land, with less water and more expensive energy.
This hunt is the newest development in the Global Crop Diversity Trust’s plans for conserving the varieties of the world’s crops. Experts on the main food crops, such as wheat, rice, lentils, and maize have been meeting for the last few years in order to discuss the best conservation tactics for each of the crops. These meetings provide the organization with the scientific basis for almost everything they do, including the “Doomsday seed vault” in the Arctic, a vault that contains enough seeds to repopulate the earth with plants if a catastrophe happens.
Over the next year or two, the projects researchers plan on creating a comprehensive profile of the “climate-proof” characteristics in each of the crops they study. They will put this data online, where anyone can research what kinds of crops they should use in certain kinds of weather. Developing these kinds of crops is also something campaigners for GMOs are interested in, and they hope this research will lessen public opposition to GMO food.
I think that this is a really good idea. If anything drastic happens in our weather patterns we definitely need to have a backup plan or else huge populations of the world could starve. This also makes me reconsider GMOs, although I am generally opposed to them. If genetically modifying crops could help them withstand weather and help feed more people, I could not be opposed to that.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7622920.stm
2 comments:
Oh, this is a very unique article. I am a biotechnology major and some of the fields that we target is agriculture and to improve the foods that people eat. I think that if these seeds work and become sustainable then not just only developing countries could benefit but everyone everywhere can. It could become a local commodity and not always having to rely on foreign crops. I believe food, shelter, and water are the three most important resources we need so why are people with-holding these necessary resources. I hope to hear more about these climate proof seeds.
I think that it is a great idea to let the knowledge of agriculture spread because it will help sustain our most basic need in a crisis: food. Also, countries that have land that is considered unfarmable may benefit from this research.
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