And I quote "NewScientist"
"while more recently anti-globalisation campaigners have demonstrated against other (seed) banks."
Why on earth would you campaign against seed saving? I thought anti-globalization people were anti-corporate and pro-environment, or at least anti-globalization! DUH! Seedbanks preserve local species.
"while more recently anti-globalisation campaigners have demonstrated against other (seed) banks."
Why on earth would you campaign against seed saving? I thought anti-globalization people were anti-corporate and pro-environment, or at least anti-globalization! DUH! Seedbanks preserve local species.
For example, the *lack* of international trade in apples led to the near-destruction of many American apple varieties, because U.S. taste was fairly uniform and there was no market for them, and hence no reason to plant them.
In recent years, the apple trade has opened up, and exposure to new countries with different tastes and a willingness to try other varieties has led to those old species existing for decades only in seed banks, being grown again.
The same goes for many 'ancient grains'.
Have you seen some of the AMAZING varieties of tomatoes that only exist in seed banks? Purple with yellow stripes, little orange bumpy ones, humongous green things, and all the shades of reds. The tastes seem to be as varied.
PS: I am talking about TOMATOES, the fruit. I re-read what I wrote and it sounded kinda... funny.
Cross breeding is actually good, hybrid vigour and all that.
I'm not actually against GMOs, but definately against patenting, and corporate practices, especially those of evil evil Monsanto.