Landrace Gardening: Food Security Through Biodiversity

Reader Contribution by Joseph Lofthouse
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The recent history of agriculture documents many examples of crop failures that resulted from a pest overcoming a plant’s defenses and then spreading widely in a short period of time. This wildfire-like spread of plant pathogens is due to the genetic uniformity of the affected crops. Similar failures routinely happen due to weather. Landrace gardening largely avoids these problems by maintaining wide genetic diversity within species, and by growing many different species.

After the 1970 corn blight, the National Academy of Science warned that crops in the United States are impressively vulnerable to failure due to genetic uniformity. It seems to me that the trend towards uniformity has accelerated since that time. I expect the trend to continue in mega-agriculture due to the increasing mechanization of farming.

I have witnessed a counter-trend among small scale growers. The reasons given for seeking out genetically diverse crops varies among gardeners. Some are seeking a wider flavor palate. Others love the exciting colors. Some want higher nutritional content. I grow landrace crops primarily for the reliability: Genetically-diverse locally-adapted crops produce more reliably for me. I believe that the plants are less susceptible to total crop failure due to pests or weather. I also reap the benefit of my food not looking or tasting bland and boring. I harvest by hand, so I do not benefit from uniformity of ripening dates, or height of a cob of corn, or a consistent fruit shape.

I am expanding the biodiversity of crops in my garden by growing traditionally cloned crops from seeds instead of cloning. Nearly all potato varieties available on the market are sterile clones without the ability to produce seeds.  I trialed many varieties until I found some that produce fruit with viable seeds. Then I stopped growing the non-seeding varieties. The photo of potatoes shows what the offspring look like. Each basket of potatoes in the photo represents the offspring of one seed. By routinely growing potatoes from promiscuously pollinated seeds, I am hoping to eliminate the possibility of a potato famine affecting my valley. Those of us involved in this endeavor say that we are growing “True Potato Seed.”

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