Argentine Scientists Working W. Small Farmers To Recover Corn Landraces - 99% Displaced By Hybrids
CORDOBA, Argentina (AlertNet) - Scientists in Argentina are working side by side with small farmers to recover traditional maize varieties that could help them adapt to climate change but have been largely displaced by modern hybrids.
Maize is not just a staple food in this South American nation, but a major export. Argentina’s annual output of 22 million tonnes makes it the world’s fifth largest producer of the crop, and its second largest exporter.
But volume does not equate with diversity. The country’s more than 40 indigenous corn varieties have been jettisoned for hybrids – cross-bred plants that combine desirable characteristics - which now account for almost 99 percent of maize production. And that makes output vulnerable to changing climatic conditions.
“Native cultivars have been replaced by hybrid crops because (hybrids) have better yield, performance, stability and are more resistant to certain diseases,” explains Guillermo Eyherabide, coordinator of the grain programme at the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA).
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http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/argentina-seeks-climate-benefits-in-traditional-maize-varieties
