The goal of biodiversity is simply to maintain the largest number of plant varieties possible. By selecting and saving seeds from your garden, you can preserve and share heirloom varieties that have been and will continue to be around for a very long time. When you plant them next year, be sure to watch for extra special plants--the gift of nature's creativity.
Have you ever wondered why your supermarket carries the type of fruits and vegetables they do? And aren't they the same varieties no matter which store you visit, even clear across the country? You may have thought there were only two types of grapes, red or green, or that "a string bean is a string bean". You would probably be shocked to learn, for example, that there are literally hundreds of varieties of apples, yet most people will only see the same handful (Macintosh, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, etc.). Why is this? The decision of what type of produce to carry is primarily a business decision, as farming and the food distribution system are increasingly dominated by large corporations. The qualities prized by these companies, i.e.: easy to ship, long shelf life, attractive and uniform appearance, may have little to do with the qualities you might want, like taste, juiciness or nutritional value. But is food just another consumer good? I don't need to (or would ever want to) choose from several hundred types of television sets, or pairs of jeans but each variety of food plants represents a unique set of genetic characteristics, a heritage which was carefully selected and nurtured over many generations.
