Diversity is Key

Read this article

http://www.dw.com/en/one-in-four-historic-german-vegetables-extinct/a-43364085

This scares me. I spent several years in college working with the WaUSDA GRIN (germplasm resources information network) knowing that there are nowhere near enough people protecting diversity in plant species! I am glad there are seed vaults around the world (India, Norway, England, Russia, USA). Diversity is key to success for any plant species. Our farm landscapes are largely monocultures, which, if hit by a disaster (natural or otherwise), would leave people without food- most likely causing a huge food shortage.

I save my seeds from my own garden... I do what I can. If you are in the education field, you can request seed directly from ARS GRIN. it is amazing-- just for fun, you should check out their list of available successions. It is mind blowing how large the collection is, yet compared to one hundred years ago, significantly less. Conserve, protect. Love your plants.

http://www.dw.com/en/one-in-four-historic-german-vegetables-extinct/a-43364085