Crop Diversity and Its Importance

The video discusses the critical importance of crop diversity as a genetic resource essential for agriculture and survival. It highlights the alarming loss of crop varieties, such as apples, and the need to preserve this diversity to adapt to climate change. The Global Crop Diversity Trust's efforts, including the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, are presented as vital initiatives to safeguard seeds worldwide. The speaker emphasizes that preserving crop diversity is not just beneficial but necessary for future food security and climate adaptation.

What did Jack Harlan describe crop diversity as?

• A genetic resource

• A trivial matter

• A modern invention

• An economic burden

How many named varieties of apples were grown in the United States in the 1800s?

• 500

• 10,000

• 1,000

• 7,100

Why is it important to preserve even less popular varieties of crops?

• They are more delicious

• They are easier to grow

• They might have unique traits useful for future challenges

• They are more profitable

What is expected to happen to the coldest growing seasons in the future?

• They will disappear

• They will remain the same

• They will become colder

• They will become hotter than the hottest of the past

Which regions are expected to be most affected by climate change in terms of agriculture?

• South America and the Arctic

• Australia and Antarctica

• North America and Europe

• South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

What is the primary function of seed banks?

• To create new crop varieties

• To replace supermarkets

• To sell seeds to farmers

• To preserve crop diversity

Where is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault located?

• In the Amazon rainforest

• In the United States

• Above mainland Norway

• In the Sahara Desert

What is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault often compared to?

• A library

• A safety deposit box

• A museum

• A bank

What percentage of fresh water supplies does agriculture consume?

• 70%

• 30%

• 50%

• 90%

What is the speaker's suggestion for ensuring the preservation of crop diversity?

• Reducing crop variety

• Increasing pesticide use

• Building more supermarkets

• Endowing crops like wheat