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Title Economic analysis of diversity in modern wheat
 
Names Meng, E.C.H.
Brennan, J.P.
Date Issued 2009 (iso8601)
Abstract The term “genetic diversity” with reference to food crops was coined in the 1960s, but humans have mindfully molded natural crop diversity since the advent of agriculture. Hexaploid wheat, used to make popular foods like bread and Chinese noodles, appears to have reached humanity through repeated chance crosses of tetraploid wheat with wild grasses thousands of years ago. But the rapid replacement of many wheat landraces with relatively few improved varieties on large expanses has raised concerns that this narrows genetic diversity. Recent experience – the emergence and spread of a new, virulent strain of stem rust from eastern Africa – seems to underline the need for broad diversity, both within and among varieties, as a frontline defense against evolving pathogens. The real issue is how much society at large is willing to pay for it. After all, the central questions confronting agriculture and finance policy makers dealing with food crops, especially in developing countries, are economic: What is diversity worth? Must the conservation of crop genetic diversity – a medium-to-term prospect – always come at the cost of reduced crop productivity in the near term? Wheat genetic diversity has been the topic of numerous studies by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and organizations like the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Authors of the various chapters in this book have participated in those studies, or come from other advanced research institutes of recognized authority or national research organizations that are particularly well placed to address the theme. The present work reflects their pooled knowledge and concerns, and should prove of interest to a diverse audience including crop breeders, agricultural socioeconomists, research directors, and policy makers.
Genre Book
Access Condition Open Access
Identifier 978-1-57808-575-0