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Acclimatisation: The Continuing Story

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2012

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Extract

With the right breeding and care, food plants have – so far – fed and sustained human civilisation. But how much can be grown, where and how reliably are emerging themes in the food security debate. Forty years ago, a non-patented gene from a quaint old grain saved the world-leading, multi-billion dollar US corn industry. It was fortunate for the multinational seed, fertiliser and pesticide conglomerates that someone in China had the foresight to conserve it.

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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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References

Endnotes

1 United Nations, Global Biodiversity Assessment, United Nations Environment Programme (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), Chapters 4 and 7Google Scholar.

2 The name, Bellis, was taken from the scientific name for the English lawn daisy, Bellis perennis. The property is in Daisy Street.

3 As a unit of area, a standardised perch of 16.5 square feet is equal to 25.29 square metres, or 0.00625 acres, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perch_(unit). Accessed 20 April 2012.

4 Retrofit: To provide, for example, domestic sewerage system, insulation, stormwater harvesting, solar panels with parts, devices, or equipment not in existence or available at the time of original manufacture.

5 Anthroposol, a soil resulting from human activities which have caused a profound modification, see: www.clw.csiro.au/aclep/asc_re_on_line/an/anthsols.htm. Accessed 20 April 2012.

6 Seed Savers’ Network, see: http://www.seedsavers.net. Accessed 20 April 2012.

7 Rodale Institute, see http://www.rodaleinstitute.org. Accessed 20 April 2012.

8 Jude and Michel Fanton, Our Seeds: Seeds Blong Yumi, available from Seedsavers, PO Box 975, Byron Bay, NSW 2481.