Your favourite vegetable: now in mind-boggling colours.3 min read
Reading Time: 3 minutesFor 10,000 years, a tradition known as seed keeping was routine around the world. Then, in just 100 years, this tradition almost disappeared. Meet Dr. Prabhakar Rao, a member of a small modern guild or group of seed keepers. Yes, that’s right. But why would anyone keep seeds? You can get those in the market, besides they are brown, tiny, and dull. What an Earth could this odd man be doing with them?
Well, Dr. Rao is an agriculturist who encountered something very troubling a few years ago. He found that India had lost at least 99% of its vegetable biodiversity in just a few decades! He also found that each vegetable that we eat could be divided into 100s of subtypes that we no longer grow or consume. Just look at this picture of red bhindi or Okra. Can you believe it? I can’t!
Owliver’s Obscure Observation: This problem can be found across the globe. By 1970, 90% of the wheat varieties that were grown in China were gone!
So far, Dr. Rao has collected over 500 vegetables and has saved 144 species of vegetables from extinction! You can join Dr. Rao and the guild of seed keepers as well. All you have to do is set up a little garden on your balcony and pick a new look for your favorite vegetable. Yup, there is no need for a big fancy farm. You just need some mud, a few pots, and a small sunny spot to keep them in. Oh! And don’t forget to eat them once they are ripe!
<<A sweet little urban garden.
Who would have ever thought that you could save something from extinction by eating it?
You can get rare local seeds right at your doorstep. Order now from Dr. Prabhakar’s farm.
Images: The Goya Journal, the Times of India, Vox, Great Big Story, Her Campus
Excerpts from: Great Big Story, Tedx,Vox
Watch this video to learn a little more about what Dr. Prabhakar is doing, and why he is doing it.
Did you set up a farm in your balcony. Tell us more about it in the comments below.
Question to think about:
Why is it so important to save these vegetables from extinction anyway?
