Source: GENETIC LITERACY PROJECT, 1/11/19


In the spring of 2017, the United States became the newest member of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, a global agreement on sharing and caring for seeds. It’s a remarkable momentfor an agreement whose central tenet is that all countries need one another, especially since it’s really hard to measure just how much they do. Here’s the argument: Genetic diversity in food plants is an essential resource needed to keep crops productive, nutritious, resistant to pests and diseases, and tolerant to drought, heat, and other climatic challenges.

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