Cottongrass blows in the wind at the edge of Etivlik Lake, Alaska. Western Arctic National Parklands / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 2.0
By Tara Lohan
Warming temperatures on land and in the water are already forcing many species to seek out more hospitable environments. Atlantic mackerel are swimming farther north; mountain-dwelling pikas are moving upslope; some migratory birds are altering the timing of their flights.
Numerous studies have tracked these shifting ranges, looked at the importance of wildlife corridors to protect these migrations, and identified climate refugia where some species may find a safer climatic haven.
"There's a huge amount of scientific literature about where species will have to move as the climate warms," says U.C. Berkeley biogeographer Matthew Kling. "But there hasn't been much work in terms of actually thinking about how they're going to get there — at least not when it comes to wind-dispersed plants."
Kling and David Ackerly, professor and dean of the College of Natural Resources at U.C. Berkeley, have taken a stab at filling this knowledge gap. Their recent study, published in Nature Climate Change, looks at the vulnerability of wind-dispersed species to climate change.
It's an important field of research, because while a fish can more easily swim toward colder waters, a tree may find its wind-blown seeds landing in places and conditions where they're not adapted to grow.
Kling is careful to point out that the researchers weren't asking how climate change was going to change wind; other research suggests there likely won't be big shifts in global wind patterns.
Instead the study involved exploring those wind patterns — including direction, speed and variability — across the globe. The wind data was then integrated with data on climate variation to build models trying to predict vulnerability patterns showing where wind may either help or hinder biodiversity from responding to climate change.
One of the study's findings was that wind-dispersed or wind-pollinated trees in the tropics and on the windward sides of mountain ranges are more likely to be vulnerable, since the wind isn't likely to move those dispersers in the right direction for a climate-friendly environment.
The researchers also looked specifically at lodgepole pines, a species that's both wind-dispersed and wind-pollinated.
They found that populations of lodgepole pines that already grow along the warmer and drier edges of the species' current range could very well be under threat due to rising temperatures and related climate alterations.
"As temperature increases, we need to think about how the genes that are evolved to tolerate drought and heat are going to get to the portions of the species' range that are going to be getting drier and hotter," says Kling. "So that's what we were able to take a stab at predicting and estimating with these wind models — which populations are mostly likely to receive those beneficial genes in the future."
That's important, he says, because wind-dispersed species like pines, willows and poplars are often keystone species whole ecosystems depend upon — especially in temperate and boreal forests.
And there are even more plants that rely on pollen dispersal by wind.
"That's going to be important for moving genes from the warmer parts of a species' range to the cooler parts of the species' range," he says. "This is not just about species' ranges shifting, but also genetic changes within species."
Kling says this line of research is just beginning, and much more needs to be done to test these models in the field. But there could be important conservation-related benefits to that work.
"All these species and genes need to migrate long distances and we can be thinking more about habitat connectivity and the vulnerability of these systems," he says.
The more we learn, the more we may be able to do to help species adapt.
"The idea is that there will be some landscapes where the wind is likely to help these systems naturally adapt to climate change without much intervention, and other places where land managers might really need to intervene," he says. "That could involve using assisted migration or assisted gene flow to actually get in there, moving seeds or planting trees to help them keep up with rapid climate change."
Tara Lohan is deputy editor of The Revelator and has worked for more than a decade as a digital editor and environmental journalist focused on the intersections of energy, water and climate. Her work has been published by The Nation, American Prospect, High Country News, Grist, Pacific Standard and others. She is the editor of two books on the global water crisis. http://twitter.com/TaraLohan
Reposted with permission from The Revelator.
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Water trickles down a hillside among moss next to the entrance to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault during a summer heat wave as mountains behind stand devoid of snow on Svalbard archipelago on July 29 in Longyearbyen, Norway. Sean Gallup / Getty Images
By Johnny Wood
What better place to build a Doomsday Vault than the remote, snow-covered islands of Norway's Arctic Svalbard? Sitting around 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole, the facility is buried in permafrost to protect the precious seed samples housed there. But a freak heatwave is causing the region's ice to melt.
<p>Following several days of near record-breaking hot weather in July, <a href="https://twitter.com/Meteorologene/status/1287060076365262849" target="_blank">Svalbard temperatures topped out at 21.7℃</a>, the country's meteorological institute reported. This is the <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/svalbard-home-of-the-doomsday-vault-just-recorded-its-highest-ever-temperature" target="_blank">hottest ever recorded here, exceeding the previous record of 21.3℃ set </a>over 40 years earlier and a stark contrast to the region's <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261996139_Introduction_in_TOPOCLIMATIC_DIVERSITY_IN_THE_FORLANDSUNDET_REGION_NW_SPITSBERGEN_IN_GLOBAL_WARMING_CONDITIONS_Edited_by_Przybylak_et_al_2012" target="_blank">average of between 5-7℃ for this time of year</a>.<br/></p>
Deep Trouble?
<p>The <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-what-it-s-like-inside-the-doomsday-vault-that-stores-every-known-crop-on-the-planet" target="_blank">Svalbard Global Seed Vault</a> – also known as the Doomsday Vault – is a gigantic bunker, sitting deep inside a mountain surrounded by snowy wastelands. The facility stores close to <a href="https://www.seedvault.no/about/the-facility/" target="_blank">900,000 seed samples</a> from around the world and acts as a sort of back-up plan for agriculture, should disaster render parts of the planet unlivable or the world suffer a catastrophe, such as nuclear war or extreme climate change.</p><p>It's been described as an "<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2235116-svalbard-doomsday-vault-gets-first-big-seed-deposit-since-upgrade/" target="_blank">insurance policy for food security</a>."</p><p>Inside the vault, <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-what-it-s-like-inside-the-doomsday-vault-that-stores-every-known-crop-on-the-planet" target="_blank">temperatures are kept below minus 18℃</a>, cold enough to keep the seed samples safe for at least 200 years, even without backup power. But climate change is causing problems for the vault.</p><p>In 2016, which was the <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2841/2018-fourth-warmest-year-in-continued-warming-trend-according-to-nasa-noaa/" target="_blank">warmest year on record according to NASA</a>, soaring temperatures caused <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/20/doomsday-arctic-seed-vault-breached-permafrost-melts/" target="_blank">meltwater to breach the vault's entrance tunnel</a>. While no seeds were damaged, the <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/svalbard-home-of-the-doomsday-vault-just-recorded-its-highest-ever-temperature" target="_blank">floodwater left an expensive repair bill</a> and tarnished the vault's reputation as impregnable to natural or manmade disasters.<span></span><br></p>The Heat Is On
<p>Warming in the islands has been underway for some time. Figures for 2017 show average temperatures are between 3-5℃ hotter than in 1971, according to the <a href="https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/globalassets/publikasjoner/M1242/M1242.pdf" target="_blank">Climate in Svalbard 2100</a> report, with the largest increases affecting the inner fjords.</p><p><span></span>Between 2071 and 2100, average temperatures throughout the archipelago will increase by between 7-10℃, the report predicts, shortening the snow season and causing loss of near-surface permafrost.</p><p><span></span>What's happening in Svalbard is symptomatic of wider changes impacting the Arctic expanse, which is <a href="https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2018/12/12/NOAA-Arctic-warming-at-twice-the-rate-of-the-rest-of-the-planet/5141544580754/" target="_blank">warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet</a>. Parts of the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019GL082187" target="_blank">Canadian Arctic are thawing 70 years earlier than predicted</a>, scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks found, a sign that climate change could be happening faster than first thought.</p><p>As warmer-than-average summers destabilize permafrost, much of which has lain frozen for millennia, methane and other gases trapped in the ice could be released at scale, accelerating climate change. In turn, warmer temperatures would lead to further permafrost loss.<br><br>Melting ice, on land and at sea, <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/11-arctic-species-affected-climate-change" target="_blank">destroys animal habitats for species like polar bears and Arctic foxes</a>, which use their snowy white coats as camouflage either to hunt for food or avoid predators.</p><p>Climate scientist Dr Boris K Biskaborn of the Alfred Wegener Institute polar and marine research centre found Arctic continuous permafrost ground temperatures increased by 0.39℃ between 2008 and 2016. A similar trend was found in Antarctica, with increases of 0.29℃ over the same period.</p><p><span></span>Warming ground temperatures are an indication of the extent of climate change. Biskaborn predicts melting permafrost could lead to increased Arctic air temperatures of up to 0.27℃ by 2100.</p><p><span></span>Svalbard's seed bank exists to protect the world's most valuable natural resources from catastrophe. If we want to avoid making multiple withdrawals, tackling the underlying causes of climate change is a priority.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/svalbard-seed-vault-arctic-climate-change/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>. </em><em></em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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'This Is History in the Making': Cherokee Nation Is First U.S.-Based Tribe to Preserve Seeds in 'Doomsday Vault'
10 February
Popular
Svalbard Global Seed Vault or the 'doomsday vault' is seen above. Global Crop Diversity Trust / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The Cherokee Nation will save seeds from the "three-sisters" crops in the Arctic "doomsday vault," making it the first Native American tribe to ensure culturally emblematic crops will be preserved for the future, as The Guardian reported.
<p>Never before has a Native American tribe received an invitation to store heirloom seeds in the <a href="https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/food-fisheries-and-agriculture/svalbard-global-seed-vault/id462220/" target="_blank">Svalbard Global Seed Vault</a>, which lies in the permafrost over 800 miles into the Arctic Circle. </p>
<p>The Cherokee nation has donated seeds for nine varieties of corn, squash and beans to the vault, which has nearly one million packs of seeds from almost every country in the world, according to its own <a href="https://www.nordgen.org/sgsv/" target="_blank">statistics</a>. The vault has the capacity to store about 4.5 million varieties of seeds.</p>
<p>The seed vault, which is owned and operated by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/Norway" rel="noopener noreferrer">Norway</a>, aims to store seeds to protect them from catastrophe, such as disease, pests or war, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/us/cherokee-nation-svalbard-global-seed-vault-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. </p>
<p>Included in the nine crops that the Cherokee nation sent is "Cherokee White Eagle Corn, the tribe's most sacred corn, which is typically used during cultural activities, and three other varieties of corn grown for consumption in distinct locations to keep the strains pure. Other seeds sent to the seed bank include Cherokee Long Greasy Beans, Cherokee Trail of Tears Beans, Cherokee Turkey Gizzard black and brown beans, and Cherokee Candy Roaster Squash," <a href="https://anadisgoi.com/archive/2756-cherokee-nation-first-tribe-in-u-s-to-send-heirloom-seeds-to-global-seed-vault-in-norway" target="_blank">according to Anadisgoi</a>, the official Cherokee Nation newsletter. The crops all predate European settlement of the Americas and are vital to the Cherokee cultural identity. </p>
<p>"This is history in the making, and none of it could have been possible without the hard work of our staff and the partnership with the team in Norway," Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said to Anadisgoi. "It is such an honor to have a piece of our culture preserved forever. Generations from now, these seeds will still hold our history and there will always be a part of the Cherokee Nation in the world."</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/07/cherokee-nation-seeds-arctic-vault-svalbard" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>, the Cherokee are only the second native peoples to deposit seeds into the vault. Their deposit follows the banking of 750 potato seeds from an indigenous Andean community. </p>
<p>The invitation to bank seeds in the Arctic stemmed from the Cherokee Nation's own seed-saving program, which distributes packs of heirloom seeds to tribe members. Just last week, the Cherokee Nation Heirloom Garden and Native Plant Site started its annual distribution of seeds to any Cherokee citizen who requested them. Last year, it sent out nearly 10,000 packs of seeds, <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/news/cherokee-indigenous-seed-vault-donation-norway" target="_blank">according to Food and Wine</a>. The program has been running since 2006 and growing steadily.</p>
<p>"It's important that we continue to distribute these seeds every year," Feather Smith, a cultural biologist for the Cherokee Nation, <a href="https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/index/114057" target="_blank">told the Cherokee Phoenix</a><u>,</u> as <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/news/cherokee-indigenous-seed-vault-donation-norway" target="_blank">Food and Wine reported</a>. "These plants represent centuries of Cherokee cultural and agricultural history. They provide an opportunity for Cherokees to continue the traditions of our ancestors and elders, as well as educate our youth in Cherokee culture." </p>
<p>The Svalbard Global Seed Vault inspired the Cherokee seed bank. It has become a means to both save heirloom seeds and to also preserve Cherokee culture, Pat Gwin, senior director of environmental resources for the Cherokee Nation, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/04/02/704795157/how-a-seed-bank-helps-preserve-cherokee-culture-through-traditional-foods" target="_blank">said to NPR</a>.</p>
<p>The NPR story caught the attention of Luigi Guarino, director of science for the Global Crop Diversity Trust, who contacted Gwin about having the tribe's seeds in the Global Seed Vault, according to CNN.</p>
<p>"The Cherokee Nation Seed Bank has always hoped to be able to deposit our traditional food crops into Svalbard one day," Feather Smith, Cherokee Nation cultural biologist, said to Anadisgoi.</p>
<p>"This is a tremendous opportunity and honor for the tribe," Gwin said in a statement, as CNN reported. "Additionally, knowing the Cherokee Nation's seeds will be forever protected and available to us, and us only, is a quite valuable thing indeed."</p>
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These Farmers Are Sowing Seeds of Diversity in the U.S. Food System (and Have Been for Quite Some Time)
13 April 2019
Insights + Opinion
Keisha Cameron's son Abraham on their farm, High Hog. Caleb Jones / Food Well Alliance
By Robynne Boyd
Winter is waning at High Hog Farms, which sits on five acres about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta. The farm's 21 raised beds have been prepped and await the growing season. Hens are laying eggs, chicks are hatching and a new angora bunny named Langston has joined the farm as its future buck. Along with the resident sheep, his offspring will be sheared for wool. Soon enough, all that fluff will be on sale at a local farmers' market alongside High Hog's herbs, fruits, vegetables, poultry and pork. This is how Keisha Cameron nourishes her family and neighbors.
<p>With the help of her husband, Warren and teenage sons, Cameron has turned a large plot in the small town of Grayson into a flourishing farm. She raises her livestock without growth hormones, cultivates her crops without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and sells the produce locally, right off the farm or at farmers' markets. Throughout the year, Cameron throws open High Hog's gates to volunteers and offers cooking classes like a"Cultured Kitchen Workshop." This is Cameron's way of cultivating community among black farmers in the region.</p><p>"For me, part of farming is about reimagining and reenvisioning what it means to be a black person on the land in the South, and learning to be self-reliant," said Cameron, who came to farming five years ago after a career in marketing. "And my idea of self-reliance absolutely requires other people."</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTM4MzcwMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTYzMTc2MX0.k0Hqz9YGx432w1D1vgjQ6nfgKdia7tvNHEjmaj_MtvE/img.jpg?width=980" id="c8c0b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="361e0e24c24e166adcdd188973cb3e28" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Founders and owners of High Hog Farm, Keisha and Warren Cameron and their sons, Zach (far left) and Abraham (far right).
Caleb Jones / Food Well Alliance
<p>African American farmers have been helping produce the country's food for centuries, but their role and time-tested knowledge base have largely gone unsupported and unappreciated. A 2012 USDA Census on Agriculture found that out of the approximately two million farms in the United States, <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2012/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/usv1.pdf" target="_blank">only 33,000 were black owned — fewer than 2 percent</a>. Part of the reason, said Tamara Jones, executive director of the Southeastern African American Farmers' Organic Network (SAFFON), a nonprofit that supports black farming, culture and history, is that the U.S. agriculture system favors vast, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-family-farm-bulks-up-1508781895" target="_blank">industrialized farmsteads</a> that grow commodity crops over <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/16/the-decline-of-the-small-american-family-farm-in-one-chart/" target="_blank">small-scale farmers</a>, especially those who are black.</p><p>Indeed, discrimination has played no small role. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides financial and technical support to America's farmers, but it has a <a href="https://archive.org/details/timetoact1545usda/page/40" target="_blank">long history of prejudicial treatment </a>against African American ones, something the agency's own Commission on Small Farms acknowledges. Such systemic racism made headlines in 1999 when a federal judge in the <em>Pigford v. Glickman</em> case — reportedly the largest civil rights settlement in history — awarded almost $1 billion in restitution to black farmers and their families who were unfairly denied USDA farm loans and assistance between 1981 and 1996.</p><p>The fallout of such inequity has been a colossal loss of land over time for black farmsteads. In our current agricultural system, to kick off the growing season, farmers need cash — typically loans spent on seeds, fertilizer and pesticides that are paid back after the harvest. But when yields are poor and the farmer can't get a loan, a cycle of debt ensues that can eventually lead to the loss of the farm. According to the <a href="http://federationsoutherncoop.com/aalandown04.htm" target="_blank">Federation of Southern Cooperatives</a>, black farmers in the U.S. owned about 15 million acres of land in 1920. By 1997 the acreage had dropped 87 percent to around 2 million.</p><p>But a movement to preserve the cultural heritage and growing practices of black farmers and to support more diverse agriculture has been sprouting in the Southeast. There's always been a group of black farmers who have worked outside the dominant, chemical-heavy food system, said Jones, often because they couldn't afford all the extra inputs. Many have been farming the same parcel "organically" for generations, even before that term entered the vernacular.</p><p>Siblings Althea and Matthew Raiford of <a href="http://gilliardfarms.com/" target="_blank">Gilliard Farms</a> in Brunswick, Georgia, for instance, are growing organic vegetables and raising livestock on a 25-acre plot that's been in their family since 1874. Matthew said when he told his "nana" about the organic farming techniques he learned at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California at Santa Cruz, she replied, "Well, baby, you could have come here first and I would have told you everything you needed to know." </p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTM4MzcwMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM0NjMxOH0.q55iRLANCWNsSxYXye-M5GEhcCGFZfsMRclmC55R7eI/img.jpg?width=980" id="c4eb0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="06df253a237b50ecc93d218602061249" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Althea and Matthew Raiford of Gilliard Farm in Brunswick, Georgia.
Matthew Raiford
<p>Then there's Jennifer Taylor, an associate professor and coordinator of small farm programs at Florida A&M University, whose 35-acre organic farm was once sharecropped by her grandmother. Taylor, who works with her husband, Ronald Gilmore, leaped into organic farming for its health benefits and market advantage that enables her to sell to health food stores and restaurants. Many small-scale farmers, however, find the USDA National Organic Program certification out of reach. In fact, that same 2012 census found that America's black farmers owned just 116 of its <a href="http://usdaorganicfarms.com/wp-content/uploads/USDA-Fact-sheet.pdf" target="_blank">17,750</a> USDA-certified organic farms.</p><p>"Why I find African Americans aren't certified organic is largely the expense," said Jillian Hishaw, an agricultural lawyer and founder of <a href="https://www.30000acres.org/" target="_blank">Family Agriculture Resource Management Services</a>, an organization that helps southeastern farmers of color retain their land. "A lot of them have already been farming sustainably, but with all the regulations, they just don't go through the certification process."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTM4MzcwNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NjQxNjI1N30.1ZVS23B_C9BOiSU2du10WHoiz-dprg1bC4vqEDrwwb4/img.jpg?width=980" id="bc72b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c9ac95f8e3a6cc96ddefdab8d8af9461" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Jillian Hishaw, founder of Family Agricultural Resource Management Services, with Letanya Williams, a farmer and Hishaw's client, on her farm in Chester, South Carolina.
Megan Haywood
<p>Work-arounds to certification have sprung up in lieu of the official USDA label. Some farmers, like Cameron, sell directly to consumers or farmers' markets. Another cost-effective option is to become "certified naturally grown" (CNG), after inspection by other CNG farmers, ensuring organic standards equal to or above the USDA's. <a href="https://www.trulylivingwell.com/" target="_blank">The Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture</a>, a nonprofit that "grows food, people and community" within Atlanta's city limits, is using its CNG certification as a transitional step to organic certification.</p><p>Getting all of this produce into low-income communities of color, which often lack adequate access to fresh food, is another priority of the movement. Organizations like Truly Living Well and the <a href="https://www.mygeorgiamarket.org/" target="_blank">Georgia Farmers Market Association</a> (GFMA) are helping do just that. For instance, GFMA's "Just Food Market" sells shares in its community supported agriculture (CSA) program on a sliding scale ranging from $6 to $40. The price structure enables people on food assistance to buy local produce, farmers to receive a living wage, and those with higher incomes to support food justice.</p><p>"We see that when black farmers are thriving, we are more likely to get that food to the people who need it most in our communities," said Leah Penniman, cofounder of Soul Fire Farm near Albany, New York, and author of <a href="https://www.farmingwhileblack.org/" target="_blank"><em>Farming While Black</em></a>. "If you're growing using Afro-indigenous practices, which is what we prefer saying to 'organic,' then again you will have that healthy outcome."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTM4MzcwNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDEyOTE4Mn0.9iLHvfBz_Mwn5JkwNi69XVII7Ztz44xvBs33bFMmNds/img.jpg?width=980" id="afdc2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b931fccff0d573485549d6731b14c0e7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Leah Penniman and participants in Soul Fire's BIPOC Farmers Immersion celebrating the last day of the program.
Soul Fire Farm
<p>These farming methods have persisted since time immemorial, added Penniman. Cleopatra was vermicomposting, using worms to boost soil health. George Washington Carver planted <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/secret-weapon-healthier-soil" target="_blank">cover crops</a> to do the same. Booker T. Whatley forged the "pick your own" and CSA movements. And thanks to the work of the Camerons, the Raifords, Taylor and Gilmore, and the upcoming farmers they're nurturing, this agricultural community's influence on the health of its members, and the food system as a whole, will continue to grow.</p>Related Articles Around the Web
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Dusk at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Frode Bjorshol / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
By Eoin Higgins
Just over a decade after it first opened, the world's "doomsday vault" of seeds is imperiled by climate change as the polar region where it's located warms faster than any other area on the planet.
<p>The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which opened in late February 2008, was <a href="https://www.croptrust.org/our-work/svalbard-global-seed-vault/" target="_blank">built</a> by the organization Crop Trust and the Norwegian government on the island of Svalbard next to the northernmost town in the world with more than 1,000 residents, Longyearbyen.</p>
<p>"Svalbard is the ultimate failsafe for biodiversity of crops," <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/26/europe/longyearbyen-doomsday-vault-climate-change-intl/index.html" target="_blank">said</a> Crop Trust executive director Marie Haga.</p><p>Northern temperatures and environment on the island were a major reason for the construction. According to in-depth reporting from <em>CNN</em>, the project planners hoped that the permafrost around the construction of the underground vault would, in time, refreeze. But the planet has other plans.</p><p>Longyearbyen and, by extension, the vault, is warming more rapidly than the rest of the planet. That's because the polar regions of Earth—the coldest areas on the planet—are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/climate/arctic-warming.html" target="_blank">less able</a> to reflect sunlight away from the polar seas due to disappearing ice and snow cover. </p>
<div id="d0925" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="JW5G4I1576661867"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1110864180121354240" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">'Doomsday vault' town warming faster than any other on Earth: 3.7 degrees Centigrade warming already in this Arctic… https://t.co/OqcAiMkpDd</div> — John Raymond Hanger (@John Raymond Hanger)<a href="https://twitter.com/johnrhanger/statuses/1110864180121354240">1553685634.0</a></blockquote></div><p>It's an ironic turn of events for the creators of the vault, who chose the location for the vault "because the area is not prone to volcanoes or earthquakes, while the Norwegian political system is also extremely stable,'" said <em>CNN</em>.</p><p>Because of the warming, the permafrost around the underground vault's tunnel entrance has not refrozen. That led to leaking water in the tunnel in October 2016, which then froze into ice. </p><p>In response, <em>CNN </em>reported, "Statsbygg [the Norwegian state agency in charge of real estate] undertook 100 million Norwegian krone ($11.7 million) of reconstruction work, more than double the original cost of the structure."</p><p>But the warming now may become unsustainable for the structure. It's already forcing changes to Longyearbyen's population of 2,144 as the people in the town find themselves scrambling to avoid avalanches and deal with a changing climate that's more often dumping rain rather than snow. </p><p>"We can't trust the permafrost anymore," said Statsbygg communications manager Hege Njaa Aschim.</p><p>British advocacy group Global Citizen was more to the point. </p><p>"Not good," the group tweeted.</p>
<div id="ef539" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZCU6J11576661867"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1110920401138401280" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Not good. https://t.co/8qSmzYGD1P</div> — Global Citizen UK (@Global Citizen UK)<a href="https://twitter.com/GlblCtznUK/statuses/1110920401138401280">1553699038.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/03/27/we-cant-trust-permafrost-anymore-doomsday-vault-risk-norway?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><em></em></p>From Your Site Articles
- 'Doomsday' Seed Vault Flooded After Arctic Permafrost Melts ... ›
- World's Largest Seed Bank Hits One Million Unique Food Crops ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
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By Kelly Magyarics
Growing up in a family of gardening enthusiasts, Tobin Shea recalls devouring the pages of seeds, flowers, fruits and vegetables every time his grandparents received a new issue of the Burpee seed catalog. "I was always fascinated with gardening and being able to enjoy the fruits of one's labor," said the bar director at Redbird, a 120-seat Modern American restaurant in Los Angeles. "I've always felt inspired by the catalog's mission to encourage subscribers to grow their own produce at home."
<p>You might say it was kismet when chefs Neal Fraser and Amy Knoll Fraser added a 6,000-square-foot garden to Redbird and the adjacent Vibiana, a former cathedral owned by the couple that they've turned into a performing arts and event space. Designed in a minimalist modern style by L.A.-based landscape designer, horticulturist and certified arborist Kathleen Ferguson and planted on land shared with the Little Tokyo Branch Library, the garden is used to grow seasonal produce, such as passion fruit, Japanese plums and honeynut squash, for the kitchen. It is surrounded by Manzanillo olive trees and uses a sustainable Aquaponics system.</p>
<div id="ef1e8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="Y9F8LT1551528855"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BroLEKSA_D_/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Redbird on Instagram: “The Morning Glory from the Best Seeds Cocktail Collection - Bulleit Rye Whiskey, Ararat Ani, Broadbent Rainwater, Bénédictine, Clement…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div>
<p>Creating a garden like this was a lifelong dream for the Frasers. To celebrate their first growing season and harvest, they created The Plain Truth About the Best Seeds, a collection of 31 cocktails in a menu designed by Anette Shirinian and illustrated by Erin Elise O'Brien. "Our guests spend a lot of time looking through our menu and choosing cocktails based on the illustrations they like best," said Shea. "Guests even try cocktails with spirits that they wouldn't ordinarily drink because they love the illustrations so much."</p>
<div id="2a1f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1939UO1551528855"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnrl3efBQNw/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Redbird on Instagram: “The Purple Ghost from the Best Seeds Collection - Suntory Toki, Italicus Rosolio, Seedlip Spice, Butterfly Pea Tea, Carbonation. Come have…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div>
<p>The libations also give a nod to the process of distillation. Shea calls this "the original farm-to-table method of preserving produce, allowing you to capture flavors that are sometimes available only two or three months of the year, during their appropriate season."<br></p><p>Obviously, plenty of that garden bounty goes into these drinks, including strawberries, kumquats, mint, lemon, rosemary and passion fruit. One of the most popular drinks is honeysuckle, a variation of an old-fashioned that pairs the sweet corn and vanilla flavors of bourbon with stone fruit notes from the Hungarian sweet wine Tokay. The honey for the drink is procured from urban hives on Redbird's rooftop.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTIyOTg3MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODY5MDc1OH0._5iD2WG4fWBOniFw031KvSgN4Cg5x0Yr4eQMbuPkwcA/img.jpg?width=980" id="a1402" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9ecbaff2e9e2bf4556fb8c1052ccb933" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Queen Anne's lace is the white flowers that grow above wild carrots. In liquid form, it becomes a martini riff with gin, akvavit, dry vermouth and mastic liqueur. Carrot eau de vie and carrot bitters (from garden vegetables) lend more of a subtle flavor than carrot juice, which Shea said can be overwhelmingly vegetal.<br></p><p>For the tiki-esque Scotch bonnet — named for the pepper used in jerk and other Jamaican cuisine — the seeds and pulp are blended into a syrup and shaken with two kinds of Scotch whisky, Falernum, lime, grapefruit and a spicy tincture.</p><p>Cocktails on The Plain Truth About the Best Seeds menu will be available until the end of summer, just in time for the late-season bumper crop. Shea hopes they will continue to appeal to green-thumbed diners and inspire would-be gardeners. "Fresh ingredients really make a difference and go a long way," he said.</p><h4>Honeysuckle</h4><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTIyOTg1Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjk4NjI0Mn0.Gtak7ZkuQ_1bSvkuF4LHhaQ8JsBt5Up2BfFwg3_w3B8/img.jpg?width=980" id="329d3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="29f0b572f7c8884ae52fd39031f0cf92" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Recipe courtesy of Tobin Shea, bar director at Redbird, LA.<br></p><p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>2 oz Maker's Mark 46 Bourbon Whiskey½ oz Tokay</li><li>¼ oz Dimmi</li><li>¼ oz Honey</li><li>4 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters</li><li>Orange twist, for garnish</li></ul><p><strong>Instructions</strong></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>1. Combine the first five ingredients in a cocktail glass.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>2. Add ice and stir until well chilled.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>3. Strain into a double old-fashioned glass over a large ice cube.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>4. Garnish with an orange twist.</p><h4>Scotch Bonnet</h4><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTIyOTg2MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Nzk3MzY3Nn0.mRNTLKzGInKoQTx3BpI4bAckuMUpJq60AGmfyyOfT6A/img.jpg?width=980" id="d45fb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7b4d9e22112564763d8282533f893084" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>Recipe courtesy of Tobin Shea, bar director at Redbird, LA.<br></p><p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>1½ oz Glen Grant 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky</li><li>¼ oz Port Charlotte Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky½ oz Grapefruit juice</li><li>½ oz Brovo Spirits Lucky Falernum</li><li>½ oz Lime juice</li><li>½ oz Liquid Alchemist Passion Fruit Syrup</li><li>3 dashes Scotch bonnet tincture</li><li>Mint sprig, flower and grapefruit twist, for garnish</li></ul><p><strong><span></span>Instructions</strong></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>1. In a Boston shaker, combine all ingredients, except garnish, with crushed ice.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>2. Shake until the sound of ice disappears.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>3. Strain into a chilled double old-fashioned glass and top with crushed ice.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">4. Garnish with mint, a flower and a grapefruit twist.</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2019/02/this-l-a-bar-created-31-cocktails-that-are-an-ode-to-seeds/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Alexander Spacher
By Nancy Castaldo
Wheat, maize, rice ... repeat. Those three starchy plants provide about half of all the calories we consume. What's more, of the 12,000 plant species that can be used for human food, only about 150 are cultivated. And that heavy reliance on a limited number of crops poses a serious risk when it comes to our food security. We can look back to the devastation of the Irish potato famine to see the importance of crop diversity. A million people died because a blight killed just one species of potato—the Irish lumper.
<p>According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5609e/y5609e02.htm" target="_blank">75 percent of plant genetic diversity has been lost</a> since the 1900s, when farmers started to grow crops that would offer greater yields and more salable produce. Large, mechanized farms churning out staple grains (<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn/background.aspx" target="_blank">much of it going toward feeding livestock</a>) replaced many small family farms that had grown a much wider array of fruits and vegetables. Monoculture depleted soil nutrients and contributed to soil erosion. This led to overdependence on chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides, resulting in the decline of the <a href="https://assets.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/bee-deaths-FS.pdf?_ga=2.100845249.1747828326.1522073382-1686254375.1496336934" target="_blank">bumblebees and other pollinators so critical to maintaining our food supply</a>. Other factors have also contributed to the loss of agrodiversity, including our <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/climatehealthfacts.pdf" target="_blank">changing climate</a>, which has brought about increased droughts that <a href="https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2017/08/how-drought-affects-soil-health" target="_blank">damage soil quality</a> and rising sea levels that infiltrate croplands with saltwater. An uptick in floods and high-intensity storms also <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/ben-chou/floods-droughts-and-agriculture" target="_blank">impacts the types of crops farmers are able to plant</a>.</p><p>In the U.S., the overall trend in crop species diversity <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0136580" target="_blank">continues to track downward</a>, but there is some hope for <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/farms-fringe-new-takes-americas-farming-tradition" target="_blank">a small-farms revolution</a>. And <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/concrete-farmer" target="_blank">urban gardens</a> are reviving an interest in homegrown crops for communities long underserved by our food system. Here's how you too can be a lifeline for plant biodiversity―at the market, in your backyard and even on your bookshelf.</p><h4>Nurture Your Own Seeds.</h4><p>You don't need a lot of land to grow your own fruits and vegetables. The National Gardening Association reported that <a href="https://garden.org/special/pdf/2014-NGA-Garden-to-Table.pdf" target="_blank">35 percent</a> of all U.S. households grow food at home or in a community garden, with significant increases occurring in urban areas. If you're still working on your green thumb, community gardens are a great place to get started, since they offer both space and a group of gardeners to consult as you experiment with different seed varieties. Try saving some of your seeds from your favorite crop to plant again or share with another gardener.</p><h4>Choose Heirlooms.</h4><p>There are so many wonderful, tasty heirloom varieties just waiting to be discovered. You may happen upon a special bean that has been passed down through your family for generations, or find out that your favorite watermelon variety at a local farm stand originated from an heirloom seed catalog. Heirlooms might surprise you. They might show up as a purple carrot, a yellow tomato or a tiny pink strawberry. You might never see these varieties in a supermarket, but there are plenty to be found at your neighborhood farmers' market.</p><p>Heirlooms are also critical to our food security. They contain genes distinct from those in the plants grown as monocrops, which risk dangerous collapse should a pest or disease outbreak strike. (For evidence, look to the <a href="http://theconversation.com/with-the-familiar-cavendish-banana-in-danger-can-science-help-it-survive-64206" target="_blank">banana industry</a>, which has long revolved around a couple of commercial varieties. It nearly collapsed after a fungal disease spread in the 1950s and '60s.) By planting, sharing and enjoying heirloom varieties, we keep them around and preserve agrodiversity. And that heirloom might turn out to be resistant to a disease we don't even know about yet.</p><h4>Hold a Seed Swap.</h4><p>Seed swaps are a great way to spread some heirloom love. A seed swap is similar to a book swap. For every packet a gardener brings, he or she can pick one to take home. Many gardeners have plenty to share. To get your community involved, conduct some local outreach to ensure you reach a broad audience. Set up some rules: All seeds should be labeled, and they must be viable. Encourage participants to pack their favorite recipes with their seeds. Don't forget to include heirloom flower varieties in the swap too—you'll be supporting the local pollinators that, in turn, support local food production. If you have any leftover seeds at the end of your swap, donate them to a school or community garden.</p><h4>Visit a Seed Library.</h4><p>Some public libraries have gotten into the act of seed saving and swapping by hosting "seed libraries" from which you can check out a packet of seeds, just as you would a book. To keep seeds circulating, members take home seeds to cultivate, let the plants flower and drop their seeds, and then return those seeds to the library to share with other gardeners. Not all seeds can be saved year after year—commercial "hybrid" seeds do not produce offspring that are true to the parent plants, and in fact some of them are engineered to be sterile. But heirloom plants can be saved year after year, and these are the varieties you'll typically find in a lending library. Many seed libraries also sponsor talks and gardening tips for their patrons.</p><h4>Create Your Own Herbarium.</h4><p>An herbarium is, basically, a scrapbook of plants that have been pressed and preserved. These have been kept by individuals for centuries, and not only by botanists. Experimental composer and musician John Cage, an amateur mycologist, collected important fungal specimens that are now included in the New York Botanical Garden's William and Lynda Steere Herbarium.</p><p>Dried plant samples can supply important data of many kinds. For example, in 2013, molecular biologists with the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/7258079/potato_blight" target="_blank">Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology</a> discovered the identity of the plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine. The researchers used plants housed at Munich's Botanical State Collection and London's Kew Gardens; although they were 120 to 170 years old, the specimens nevertheless had many intact pieces of DNA for scientists to decode. Their work has helped us understand how plant pathogens evolve and how human activity impacts the spread of plant diseases.</p><p>Historically, herbariums have comprised pressed, dried specimens. To prepare your samples in this manner, press the plant matter in a large book or between sheets of newspaper and place a weight on top. When the leaves are dry, mount them in an acid-free scrapbook to preserve them, and label each specimen on the page. You can also include illustrations, photographs, seed packets and notes. Seed saving is something humans have done for as long as we've grown crops, so think of your project as a means of carrying on an important tradition—as well as a potentially important safeguard for future generations.</p><p><em><a href="http://www.nancycastaldo.com/" target="_blank">Nancy Castaldo</a> has written books about our planet for over 20 years. Her book, The Story of Seeds: From Mendel's Garden to Your Plate, and How There's More of Less To Eat Around The World, earned the 2017 Green Earth Book Award, Sigurd Olsen Nature Writing Notable book, and was a Junior Library Guild Selection. Her latest is Back from the Brink: Saving Animals from Extinction</em><em>. Her research and photography has taken her all over the world from the Galapagos to Russia, and she loves sharing her adventures with her readers. </em></p>
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In Blow to Monsanto, India's Top Court Upholds Decision That Seeds Cannot Be Patented
07 May 2018
GMO
Bt cotton. Abhishek Srivastava / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
In an another legal blow to Monsanto, India's Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the Delhi High Court's ruling that the seed giant cannot claim patents for Bollgard and Bollgard II, its genetically modified cotton seeds, in the country.
Monsanto's chief technology officer Robert Fraley, who just announced that he and other top executives are stepping down from the company after Bayer AG's multi-billion dollar takeover closes, lamented the news.
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Fraley
<a href="https://twitter.com/RobbFraley/status/993515399613468674" target="_blank">tweeted</a>, "Having personally helped to launch Bollgard cotton in India & knowing how it has benefited farmers ... it's sad to see the country go down an anti-science/anti-IP/anti-innovation path..."
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</p><div id="22e7b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8NSGTD1576683822"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="993515399613468674" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Having personally helped to launch Bollgard cotton in India & knowing how it has benefited farmers...it’s sad to se… https://t.co/ouM498b8gu</div> — Robb Fraley (@Robb Fraley)<a href="https://twitter.com/RobbFraley/statuses/993515399613468674">1525707504.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Monsanto first introduced its GM-technology in India in 1995. Today, more than 90 percent of the country's cotton crop is genetically modified. These crops have been inserted with a pest-resistant toxin called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt.
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Citing India's Patents Act of 1970, the Delhi High Court ruled last month that plant varieties and seeds cannot be patented, thereby rejecting Monsanto's attempt to block its Indian licensee, Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd., from selling the seeds.
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Because of the ruling, Monsanto's claims against Nuziveedu for unpaid royalties have been waived, as its patents are now invalid under Indian law. Royalties will now be decided by the government.
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<span></span>Indian environmentalist <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/community/vandana_shiva" target="_blank">Vandana Shiva</a>, who is known for her <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/monsanto-gmo-india-2001038793.html">fierce activism</a> against corporate patents on seeds, <a href="https://twitter.com/drvandanashiva/status/993451186278813697" target="_blank">called</a> the top court's move a "major victory" <a href="https://twitter.com/drvandanashiva/status/993454191954755585" target="_blank">that opens the door</a> "to make Monsanto pay for trapping farmers in debt by extracting illegal royalties on BT cotton."
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She also said in a video Monday in front of the Supreme Court, "Our sovereignty is protected, our laws are protected. Our ability to write laws in the public interest [and] for the rights of farmers through the constitution are protected."
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"The Earth will win. Seed will win. Monsanto will lose," Shiva added.
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A Monsanto India spokesman told
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-monsanto/india-top-court-refuses-to-stay-order-against-monsanto-on-gm-cotton-patents-idUSKBN1I8142" target="_blank">Reuters</a> the case will be submitted for an expedited preliminary hearing on July 18.
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"We remain confident on the merits of the case. India has been issuing patents on man-made biotech products for more than 15 years, as is done widely across the globe," the spokesman said.
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</p><div id="302fd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3WZIU61576683822"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="984845177465528320" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Report: Monsanto May Leave India After Losing GMO Cotton Patent https://t.co/3hFyCv2n9X #Monsanto @GMWatch… https://t.co/QiuhspBXVQ</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/984845177465528320">1523640362.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Nonprofits around the country are working to ensure access to heirloom, open-pollinated seeds for generations to come. Mazzam / Shutterstock
Once the work of public researchers, plant breeding is now dominated by a handful of massive corporations, but there are still a variety of nonprofit organizations working to preserve biodiversity and ensure access to heirloom, open-pollinated seeds for generations to come. Here is a roundup of our favorites, including a few that sell seeds in order to raise funds—so you can support a good cause while doing your spring seed shopping.
<p><strong>1. <a href="https://www.seedsavers.org/" target="_blank">Seed Savers Exchange</a></strong></p><p style="">Stewards of one of the oldest and largest seed banks in North America, Seed Savers Exchange boasts a collection of over 20,000 heirloom varieties—including more than 1,000 heritage apple trees—many of which are available in their online catalog. This Iowa-based organization also hosts a giant online seed swap, where dues-paying members can exchange their favorite varieties. If membership isn't for you, anyone is welcome to buy seeds.</p><p style=""><strong>2. <a href="https://seedalliance.org/" target="_blank">Organic Seed Alliance</a></strong></p><p style="">Many modern seed varieties are simply not well-suited to organic production. That's why the Organic Seed Alliance actively promotes breeding <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2017/09/need-revitalize-organic-seed-farming/" target="_blank">organic-specific varieties</a>. The Organic Seed Alliance also provides technical assistance to organic farmers on seed-related matters, and they are active participants in the fight to prevent transnational companies from gobbling up every last small and regional seed purveyor. While they support the preservation of heirloom crops, they also develop new seed varieties geared specifically for organic farmers, including the recent releases <a href="http://seedalliance.org/2015/osas-abundant-bloomsdale-spinach-hits-marketplace/" target="_blank">'Abundant Bloomsdale' spinach</a> and <a href="http://seedalliance.org/2014/new-sweet-corn-variety-for-organic-farmers-hits-marketplace/" target="_blank">'Who Gets Kissed?' sweet corn</a>.</p><p style=""><strong>3. <a href="http://seedmatters.org/" target="_blank">Seed Matters</a></strong></p><p>Headed up by Nebraska-born seed-activist <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2015/12/clif-bar-seed-matters-dinner/" target="_blank">Matthew Dillon</a>, this organization was formed a few years ago by the Clif Bar Family Foundation to promote public seed breeding and research—as opposed to corporate-backed research, which has dominated the field in recent years—and ensure that future seed development is focused squarely on the needs and interests of farmers. The Clif Bar founders provide funding for overhead expenses, but the group relies on grants and donations for all of its programs.</p><p style=""><strong>4. <a href="https://www.nativeseeds.org/" target="_blank">Native Seeds / S.E.A.R.C.H.</a></strong></p><p style="">Have a particular love for the southwest? This is your group. in preserving agricultural biodiversity in the southwest? This is the organization for you. Based in Tucson, Arizona, Native Seeds/S.E.A.R.C.H. is dedicated to preserving agricultural biodiversity in its corner of the country. The group's enormous seed library hosts a number of endangered and nearly extinct Native American seed varieties that were historically cultivated by desert tribes. Many of their seeds are suitable for planting in other regions, however, and are available for sale online and at retail garden centers.</p><p style=""><strong>5. <a href="http://www.southernexposure.com/" target="_blank">Southern Exposure Seed Exchange</a></strong></p><p style="">Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, helmed by famed plantswoman <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2017/09/earth-mover-ira-wallace/" target="_blank">Ira Wallace</a>, is to the southeast what Native Seeds/S.E.A.R.C.H. is to the southwest. Like its counterpart in the desert, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange conserves, exchanges and promotes traditional, locally-adapted varieties, many of which also grow well throughout the country and are available through an extensive online catalog. Uniquely, this group is based on a commune in Virginia, whose members share in the work of preserving, growing and distributing the seeds.</p><p><strong>BONUS:</strong> <a href="http://ofrf.org/giving" target="_blank"><strong>Organic Farming Research Foundation</strong></a></p><p style="">While technically not a seed saving organization, we felt it important to include the Organic Farming Research Foundation. It is one of the only groups devoted entirely to high-level organic farming research—a necessity for advancing the industry. Based in the organic farming hotbed of Santa Cruz, California, the group provides grants to both academics and actual farmers throughout North America to conduct practical experiments that help make organic agriculture more efficient and productive. Crucially, they also take their message to Capitol Hill, where they lobby lawmakers to provide funding for the cause.</p><p style=""><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2018/04/5-nonprofits-sowing-the-seeds-of-a-better-food-system/" target="_blank">Modern Farmer</a>.</em></p>
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Nestled in the Svalbard archipelago lies a small unassuming-yet-sturdy building housing the world's largest collection of crop diversity. Crop Trust
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic Circle—also known as the "doomsday vault" safeguarding the world's most diverse collection of seeds—now holds 1,059,646 unique crop varieties after receiving more than 70,000 samples on Monday.
Depositors from 23 seed banks around the world braved sub-zero temperatures to deliver duplicate seeds of vital staples such as rice, wheat and maize; black-eyed pea, a major protein source in Africa and South Asia; and samples of sorghum, pearl millet and pigeon pea. Several lesser-known crops such as the Estonian onion potato and the Bambara groundnut, a drought-tolerant crop being developed in Africa, also made the journey.
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"Hitting the million mark is really significant," Hannes Dempenwolf, senior scientist of the <a href="https://www.croptrust.org/" target="_blank">Crop Trust</a>, an international organization that funds and manages a global system of seed collections, told <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43171939" target="_blank">BBC</a>.
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"Only a few years back I don't think we would have thought that we would get there."
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</p><div id="d4ba8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="TDTD3Q1576662808"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="968041213197774850" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Svalbard Global Seed Vault turns 10 today!
IITA is proud to contribute to #SeedVault10 with 85% of seed collect… https://t.co/gK4Vdp153W</div> — IITA (@IITA)<a href="https://twitter.com/IITA_CGIAR/statuses/968041213197774850">1519633985.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Monday also marked the tenth anniversary of the Global Seed Vault. The vault, located on the side of a mountain on a remote Norwegian island, is designed to safeguard the planet's precious seed varieties against loss of crop diversity caused by <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_blank">climate change</a>, natural disasters or war.
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Deliveries are made several times a year from countries that include the U.S., Australia, Burundi, Colombia, Germany, India, Japan, North Korea, Russia and many others.
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<span></span>"The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is an iconic reminder of the remarkable conservation effort that is taking place every day, around the world and around the clock—an effort to conserve the seeds of our food crops," said Marie Haga, executive director of the Crop Trust, in a statement.
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"Safeguarding such a huge range of seeds means scientists will have the best chance of developing nutritious and climate- resilient crops that can ensure future generations don't just survive, but thrive."
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</p><div id="57c0d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="E0HTYB1576662808"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="968044800564977665" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The seed vault on the Norwegian archipelago #Svalbard represents a global assurance for genetic diversity and… https://t.co/hPFMURJ2gm</div> — Norway MFA (@Norway MFA)<a href="https://twitter.com/NorwayMFA/statuses/968044800564977665">1519634840.0</a></blockquote></div>
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The vault can store up to 4.5 million varieties of crops. Each variety contains an average of 500 seeds, which amounts to a maximum capacity of 2.5 billion seeds.
</p><p>Last year, the vault suffered <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a> after warmer-than-average temperatures caused a layer of permafrost to thaw. No seeds were damaged, but the Norwegian government is working to protect the vault against increasingly <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather" target="_self">extreme weather</a>. Norway announced Friday it plans to spend <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-seeds/norway-to-spend-13-million-to-upgrade-doomsday-arctic-seed-vault-idUSKCN1G72EH" target="_blank">$13 million on upgrades</a> that will cover "construction of a new, concrete-built access tunnel, as well as a service building to house emergency power and refrigerating units and other electrical equipment that emits heat through the tunnel," the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.</p><span></span>"The tenth anniversary is a major milestone for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault," said Jon Georg Dale, the Minister of Agriculture for the Norwegian government, which jointly runs the facility with the Crop Trust and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center.<p style="">
"It comes at a time when agriculture is facing multiple challenges from extreme weather and the demands of a world population expected to reach 10 billion people by 2050. This means it is more important than ever to ensure that seeds—the foundation of our food supply and the future of our agriculture—are safely conserved."
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</p><div id="ec504" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4W0HU31576662808"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="866805989206630400" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">'Doomsday' Seed Vault Flooded After Arctic Permafrost Melts https://t.co/nONmcB54Bo @ClimateDesk @OneWorld_News</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/866805989206630400">1495497626.0</a></blockquote></div>
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50,000 Seeds Deposited to 'Doomsday Vault' Housing World's Largest Collection of Crop Diversity
25 February 2017
Food
Nestled in the Svalbard archipelago lies a small unassuming-yet-sturdy building created to last forever. While it may look minimal, this building is one of the most important in the world because it holds the key to continual human survival. It houses the world's largest—and most secure—collection of crop diversity. Photo credit: Crop Trust / GoPro
A major seed deposit critical to ensuring global food security was made to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic Circle on Wednesday.
Despite a backdrop of geopolitical volatility, nearly 50,000 samples of seeds from seed collections in Benin, India, Pakistan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Netherlands, the U.S, Mexico, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus and the U.K have traveled to the vault on the Svalbard archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole on Wednesday for long-term safekeeping.
The preparation and shipment of seeds to the facility has been funded in-part by the Crop Trust, the only organization working worldwide to create, fund and manage an efficient and effective global system of seed collections.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world's largest collection of agricultural biodiversity, is a safe and secure vault supported by the Crop Trust which can store up to 4.5 million samples of crops from all over the world. By preserving duplicate samples of seeds held in gene banks worldwide, the vault provides a "fail safe" insurance against loss of crop diversity caused by climate change, natural disaster or war.
"Today's [Wednesday] seed deposit at Svalbard supported by the Crop Trust shows that despite political and economic differences in other arenas, collective efforts to conserve crop diversity and produce a global food supply for tomorrow continue to be strong," Marie Haga, executive director of the Crop Trust, said when speaking from the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
"Together, the nations that have deposited their seed collections account for over a quarter of the world's population. Nearly every country has agreed on the importance on conserving crop diversity through Target 2.5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to conserve agricultural diversity in seed collections. Crop diversity is a fundamental foundation for the end of hunger."
To support the Crop Trust's critical work at Svalbard and gene banks around the world, GoPro for a Cause, GoPro's program dedicated to impact storytelling for non-profit organizations, launched a fundraising initiative and short documentary Wednesday to help the Svalbard Seed Vault ensure ongoing crop conservation.
"We're thrilled to support the Crop Trust's efforts at Svalbard Seed Vault with the launch of GoPro's short documentary that offers a unique, first-person perspective on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and its mission," Erica Stanulis, director of Global Corporate Social Responsibility at GoPro, said.
Our production team has spent more than a year filming, editing and interviewing the team and we're thrilled that the Crop Trust will use this film to share their story with more people.
The Crop Trust provides crucial funding and training for routine gene bank operations, such as quality and information management. Without this basic support for diverse varieties of food crops—like the ones that travel to Svalbard—the future of the world's global food supply is at risk.
The Crop Trust's funding allows millions of plant genetic resources to be recorded and ultimately shared and used around the world to improve agricultural production and prevent loss of crop diversity in the face of natural disasters, climate change and war.
A case in point is the work of the International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) previously located in Syria. When fighting struck Aleppo, ICARDA requested its duplicate seeds stored in Svalbard were withdrawn so it could continue its multiplication and breeding efforts in the safer locations of Morocco and Lebanon. Having successfully achieved this through the Crop Trust's support, a portion of the seeds withdrawn in 2015 returned to Svalbard Wednesday.
"Collaboration between the Norwegian government, NordGen, the Crop Trust, CGIAR and ICARDA shows what is possible when international partners come together to find solutions to pressing regional and global challenges," Aly Abousabaa, director general of ICARDA, said. "We are demonstrating today [Wednesday] that we can rely on our gene banks and their safety duplications, despite adverse circumstances, so we can get one step closer to a food secure world."
Seed samples for some of the world's most vital food sources like the potato, sorghum, rice, barley, chickpea, lentil and wheat will be deposited at Svalbard in the coming days, bringing the total number of seed samples at the facility to 930,821.
Several U.S. state attorneys general will reportedly join the federal antitrust investigations of the pending multibillion dollar deals between DuPont and Dow Chemical Co and Bayer AG and Monsanto Co, respectively.
Consolidation of these four already massive companies into two juggernauts—not to mention ChemChina's $43 billion planned combination with chemical and seeds company Syngenta that cleared U.S. scrutiny in August—will completely reshape the global seed and pesticide markets. If the deals are approved, Dow Chemical and DuPont will create one of the largest chemical makers in the U.S, while Bayer and Monsanto will form the largest seed and pesticide company in the world.
Bayer-Monsanto Merger a '5-Alarm Threat to Our Food Supply' https://t.co/LxMGJTi77P @GreenpeaceAustP @globalactplan— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)1474707640.0
Reuters reports that about seven states, including California, have joined the probe of Dow's planned merger with DuPont that would create a $130 billion chemical behemoth. A separate group of state attorneys general have also joined the Bayer-Monsanto investigation. The states are reportedly concerned that companies will increase pesticide and herbicide prices for farmers, and will have less incentive to compete and introduce better and cheaper products.
Critics ask, who will hold these agri-tech giants accountable if the deals close? These mega-deals are especially daunting in a time when U.S. farmers are seeing their incomes falling from slumping crop prices.
According to Reuters, the state attorneys general will be able to supply information on how the mergers would affect their jurisdictions and conduct joint calls to gather data from the companies and its critics and supporters of the deals.
"The involvement of the state attorneys general increases scrutiny of the mega deals and will complicate what are already expected to be tough and lengthy reviews by U.S. antitrust enforcers," Reuters wrote.
Consumer groups have also expressed fears that "farmers get paid less for their crops, more pesticides are used and there are fewer options for consumers at the grocery store," as Wenonah Hauter, the executive director of Food & Water Watch, told EcoWatch after the announcement of Bayer's $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto in September.
The state attorneys general will reportedly investigate DuPont's Altacor and Dow's Intrepid, two chemically different but overlapping insecticides applied on high-value crops such as almonds, pistachios, grapes and apples.
Another concern is Bayer and Monsanto's overlapping cotton seeds. Bayer licenses genetic traits that make seeds resistant to the herbicide Liberty, while Monsanto licenses traits that make seeds resistant to its herbicide Roundup.
Monsanto and Bayer control the two top cotton seed brands in the U.S., respectively, the St. Louis Dispatch reported. That's about 70 percent of all cotton acreage in the country.
"One of the worst things you could do is to link Liberty and Roundup in the same company," Peter Carstensen, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin and leading agricultural antitrust expert, told the Dispatch. "There's no incentive for somebody to develop a third alternative."
DuPont and Dow told Reuters in separate statements they expected to win approval for their deal. Bayer said, it's looking forward to "working diligently with regulators to ensure a successful close." Monsanto did not comment.