Just nine crops make up two-thirds of global #food production.
However, over 6,000 plants were once cultivated for food; now just nine dominate. This threatens nutrition, cultural heritage and food system resilience, especially as climate change worsens.
Industrial farming favours high-yield, standardized crops but increases vulnerability to pests, diseases and climate shocks. To protect the world’s food future, it’s vital cultivate stronger policies, public awareness and community action to revive native crops.
The push for agricultural standardization, aimed at maximizing yields and streamlining global markets, has systematically eroded the biodiversity that once defined regional food systems.
Crops that evolved over centuries to suit specific local climates are being replaced by a handful of high-yield varieties optimized for industrial farming. This shift has introduced significant vulnerabilities. Genetically uniform crops are more susceptible to pests, diseases and climatic stresses.
Farming became more profitable for some, but many smallholder farmers were pushed into abandoning indigenous crops that had been cultivated sustainably for generations.
The impact of this shift is still being felt today. Global Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) reveals that high percentages of children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition-related issues – 35.5% are stunted, 19.3% are wasted and 32.1% are underweight.
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