Monocropping Cultures into Ruin: The Loss of Food Varieties and Cultural Diversity

Jacques, Peter; Jacques, Jessica Racine

doi:10.3390/su4112970

Cited by 54 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…In most developing countries, the trend towards reduced crop diversity began after the 1960s with the spread of green revolution technologies (Jacques and Jacques, 2012). A series of new advances in agricultural research and crop genetics boosted agricultural * Author for correspondence Email: krkaruna@gmail.com § The paper is drawn from the part of the work done from the ICAR Social Science Network project 'Regional Crop Planning for Improving Resource Use Efficiency and Sustainability' 1 Selling of subsidized food items through public distribution system production worldwide, mostly in rice, wheat and maize.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Linkage between Dietary Pattern and Crop Diversification: An Evidence from Tamil Nadu

Chinnadurai¹,

Karunakaran²,

Chandrasekaran³

et al. 2016

Agri. Econ. Rese. Revi.

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This paper has studied the impact of crop diversification on dietary diversity of households in different regions of Tamil Nadu. Two different types of data set were used: (1) National Sample Survey Organization's (NSSO) consumer expenditure survey data for the years TE 2004-05 and TE 2012-13, and (2) Cropping pattern data from Season and Crop report for the years TE 2004 and TE 2012-13. Multiple linear regression model was used to study the linkages between crop and dietary diversification. The study has revealed that dietary diversification of Cauvery delta zone, Northern zone and Northeastern zone was parallel with crop diversification. The crop diversification influenced positively the dietary diversification, whereas vegetable diversification was negatively related with diet diversification, irrespective of income groups in the state. Also, larger household size, presence of own land, older age and higher education level of household-head have been found positively related with dietary diversity of households in Tamil Nadu. The current nutrients intake pattern has been found about 50 per cent of the RDA, particularly of crude fibre and iron and about two-thirds in case of energy and vitamin A. The nutrient intake gap is further widened in low-income non-farm groups. Appropriate nutritional security programmes maybe initiated particularly covering children, pregnant women and aged people.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Linkage between Dietary Pattern and Crop Diversification: An Evidence from Tamil Nadu

Chinnadurai¹,

Karunakaran²,

Chandrasekaran³

et al. 2016

Agri. Econ. Rese. Revi.

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“…Some studies have estimated that up to 75% of plant genetic diversity has been lost due to the rapid expansion of industrial agriculture and large-scale adoption of monoculture farming [29]. Many such studies have been based on a reduction in the number of cultivars of particular crops, and, as such, may be inaccurate estimates of the amount of actual plant genetic diversity present when both gene banks and cultivars are considered.…”

Section: Seed-savers and Heritage Seedbanksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pursuing the Potential of Heirloom Cultivars to Improve Adaptation, Nutritional, and Culinary Features of Food Crops

Dwivedi¹,

Goldman

Ortíz

2019

Agronomy

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The burdens of malnutrition, protein and micronutrient deficiency, and obesity cause enormous costs to society. Crop nutritional quality has been compromised by the emphasis on edible yield and through the loss of biodiversity due to the introduction of high-yielding, uniform cultivars. Heirloom crop cultivars are traditional cultivars that have been grown for a long time (>50 years), and that have a heritage that has been preserved by regional, ethnic, or family groups. Heirlooms are recognized for their unique appearance, names, uses, and historical significance. They are gaining in popularity because of their unique flavors and cultural significance to local cuisine, and their role in sustainable food production for small-scale farmers. As a contrast to modern cultivars, heirlooms may offer a welcome alternative in certain markets. Recently, market channels have emerged for heirloom cultivars in the form of farmer-breeder-chef collaborations and seed-saver organizations. There is therefore an urgent need to know more about the traits available in heirloom cultivars, particularly for productivity, stress tolerance, proximate composition, sensory quality, and flavor. This information is scattered, and the intention of this review is to document some of the unique characteristics of heirloom cultivars that may be channeled into breeding programs for developing locally adapted, high-value cultivars.

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“…This, along with demand for product uniformity (i.e., purple poi), contributed towards further decline in taro diversity in farmers' fields. By 1990, a single variety, Maui Lehua (a farmer-developed cross between two Hawaiian varieties, Lehua maoli and Moi, [29]) was the preferred choice in commercial markets and hence farmers' fields, developing over time the usual pest and disease challenges associated with monocropping [99][100][101].…”

Section: Remembering: Dissonant Histories From Collection and Conservmentioning

confidence: 99%

I Ke Ēwe ʻĀina o Ke Kupuna: Hawaiian Ancestral Crops in Perspective

Kagawa‐Viviani

Levin²,

Johnston

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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Indigenous crops, tremendously valuable both for food security and cultural survival, are experiencing a resurgence in Hawaiʻi. These crops have been historically valued by agricultural researchers as genetic resources for breeding, while cultural knowledge, names, stories and practices persisted outside of formal educational and governmental institutions. In recent years, and following conflicts ignited over university research on and patenting of kalo (Hāloa, Colocasia esculenta), a wave of restoration activities around indigenous crop diversity, cultivation, and use has occurred through largely grassroots efforts. We situate four crops in Hawaiian cosmologies, review and compare the loss and recovery of names and cultivars, and describe present efforts to restore traditional crop biodiversity focusing on kalo, ʻuala (Ipomoea batatas), kō (Saccharum officinarum), and ʻawa (Piper methysticum). The cases together and particularly the challenges of kalo and ‘awa suggest that explicitly recognizing the sacred role such plants hold in indigenous worldviews, centering the crops’ biocultural significance, provides a foundation for better collaboration across multiple communities and institutions who work with these species. Furthermore, a research agenda that pursues a decolonizing approach and draws from more participatory methods can provide a path forward towards mutually beneficial exchange among research, indigenous, and farmer communities. We outline individual and institutional responsibilities relevant to work with indigenous crops and communities and offer this as a step towards reconciliation, understanding, and reciprocity that can ultimately work to create abundance through the restoration of ancestral crop cultivar diversity.

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Monocropping Cultures into Ruin: The Loss of Food Varieties and Cultural Diversity

Cited by 54 publications

References 67 publications

Examining Linkage between Dietary Pattern and Crop Diversification: An Evidence from Tamil Nadu

Examining Linkage between Dietary Pattern and Crop Diversification: An Evidence from Tamil Nadu

Pursuing the Potential of Heirloom Cultivars to Improve Adaptation, Nutritional, and Culinary Features of Food Crops

I Ke Ēwe ʻĀina o Ke Kupuna: Hawaiian Ancestral Crops in Perspective

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