CONSERVATION

This astonishing level of diversity is not simply produced in American gardens, orchards,
farms and ranches, but it is more than ever before reaching consumers and chefs. In 1994,
there were only 1775 farmers markets in the U.S., but two decades later, there are over 8150,
where one in every twenty farmers and ranchers in the country direct-markets at least a
portion of her or his production to neighbors.
Obviously, not many of us will ever have the chance to taste even a fraction of the five
thousand species that can be used as food on this continent, so why do they matter? Here are
just a few of the reasons that they will matter if we are to achieve food security that nourishes
our poor, elderly and children, and that sustains the long-term productivity of our foodscapes.
A. Maintaining a diversity of plants and animals on the land and in our waters may
be one of the best bet-hedging strategies we have to buffer ourselves from climate
uncertainty.
B. Harboring biodiversity on farm allows these plants and animals to provide “ecosystem
services” which stabilize yields and reduce required inputs, over and above the calories they
produce.
C. A neglected “food rule” to guide our healthy eating patterns is that eating a diversity of
varieties of the same foodstuff--- apples or salad greens---provides us with a greater diversity
of nutrients, probiotics, textures and flavors to keep us fully nourished and protected from
disease.
Perhaps the conservation of flavor options and the very pleasure of eating are the leastdiscussed
among all the reasons for attempting to sustain food biodiversity. The following
case studies—highlighted as sidebar features scattered throughout this report—remind us that
when we conserve food diversity, we are not just saving genes, breeds or species, but we are
saving taste, culture and livelihoods. We hope that you will now dive into the details of these
conservation success stories for they are truly examples of conservation you can taste.
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