GCKP: Preservation of Traditional Foods and Growing Techniques

“In 1996 the FAO reported that the world depends on too few crops and that many thousands of genetic varieties (landraces) have been lost, mainly due to the spread of modern commercial agriculture. The report lists the main causes of plant genetic erosion in 154 countries, and in over 80 of them, 'replacement of local varieties' came top. In maize, for instance, Costa Rica, Chile, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand have documented widespread genetic erosion due to monocropping.

What has been almost entirely overlooked is that throughout that vast continent [of Africa] can be found more than 2000 native grains, roots, fruits and other food plants. These have been feeding people for thousands of years but most are being given no attention whatever today.”

Source: US National Research Council, 1996

Other examples: Amaranth and quinoa -grains that originally came from the Andes and were  holy to the Incas of Peru and the Aztecs of Mexico - are being reevaluated. Both are versatile and  nutritious. They are also hardy: amaranth thrives in hot climates; quinoa is frost resistant and can be grown as high as 4 000 metres. Many more traditional foods await development and wider use.