Seeds of Change

1. How many species are lost worldwide each year?

2. Of the 30,000 varieties of rice once grown in India, how many remain?

3. Of the 7000 different varieties of apples once grown in North America, how many are extinct?

4. Which four grains are used to make all breakfast cereals?

5. How many food crops are used to feed most people in the world?

6. Why are scientists in the developed world interested in genes from plants in developing countries?

7. Technology has allowed an increase in crop yield but what effect has it had on biodiversity?

8. What effect did the Green Revolution have on biodiversity?

9. How did governments of developing countries contribute to the loss of biodiversity?

10. Why should we conserve gene pools in the wild rather than in seed banks?

11. How have women throughout history contributed to agriculture?

12. The Irish potato famine (mid 1800s), U.S. corn blight (1970s), and PEI potato virus (1991) are examples of the danger of monocultures. How is biodiversity an insurance policy against such disasters?

13. How have poor farmers contributed to the maintenance of biodiversity?

14. What does the control of the food supply depend on?

15. What effect can the ownership of plant genes by different companies have on food research?

16. What does protecting the food supply depend on?

17. What are the signs that biodiversity is disappearing?

18. Why should developed countries pay for the preservation of biodiversity in developing countries?