If you are interested in health or the environment these days, you are probably growing your own vegetables. Heirloom vegetable seeds come from ancient strains of vegetables that are critical to the survival of independent agriculture and possibly the future of food for human and animal consumption. It might be no exaggeration to state that our survival is at stake.
‘Heirloom’ refers to a valuable object that was passed on through several generations. The inherent value of these vegetables lies their preservation of genetic diversity. Though they once were common – in early agriculture – these strains are no longer produced in today’s large scale agriculture.
Today, the large corporations that control most of the food and agricultural industry use monoculture to maximize profits. Because monoculture is unnatural and depletes the soil, it makes the crops very susceptible to diseases and pests. Using chemical fertilizers and pesticides as a solution is essentially extremely unhealthy for consumers, farm workers and the environment. Some corporations also plant genetically modified organisms (GMO); some of these plants produce chemicals that make them pest-resistant. Many people prefer heirloom seed for health reasons.
Svalbard, the seed bank in Norway, is one of the privately-owned enterprises who encourage governments and agricultural and botanical institutes to send seed there for storage. The bank will protect Earth’s biodiversity if a global catastrophe should strike. Conspiracy theorists and survivalists theorize that ‘Big Agriculture’ funds these establishments as part of a ‘plot’ to take control of the whole world’s food. Whether there is a plot or not, in the event of a catastrophe the availability of viable seed will become critical.
Although GMO are developed to be sterile – farmers must buy new seed annually – they have sometimes contaminated crops in the surrounding area. If a farmer’s crops become contaminated and he then plants his newly-harvested seed, he might unwittingly be illegally ‘appropriating’ the technology. The manufacturers of these strains regularly sue farmers for ‘theft’ after farmers plant the contaminated seed.
One would imagine such farmers would prosecute the manufacturers for contamination, but in most instances the deep pockets of the defendants allow the wheels of justice to slow to the point where the farmers go bankrupt. This results in a reduction in the number of farmers and land-owners who are independent.
This brings us to the value of growing and sharing natural strains of vegetables. Without non-GMO plants, many insects will die off, affecting the entire global food chain. Biologists and entomologists are already concerned about the loss of insect diversity and the subsequent impact on bird and plant life.
Want to find out more about Heirloom Vegetable Seeds, then visit Sam Segal’s site on how to choose the best Vegetable Seeds for your needs.