"Agriculture is an imitation of forest life." "There is no crop failure in the forest."

I heard these words when I was camping in the forests of Preah Vihear Province in northern Cambodia. Upon closer inspection, the forests are full of unfamiliar plants that are not even listed in illustrated books. I cannot confirm this, but I believe they are all native species since Preah Vihear Province is one of the poorest areas in Cambodia. The locals used to pick plants growing around there and cook with them.

Research shows that there are 500,000 plant species in the world. They have all been passed on genetically since the birth of life on earth around 3.5 billion years ago, with all species being incorporated into the evolutionary process.

Of the 500,000 species of plants, there are 20,000 that are edible to humans. Each plant has survived through repeated adaptations in different climates. Humans have taken in those lives as a source of food and nutrition to maintain the species.

While there are a large number of edible plants, only a few types of commodity crops (crops that are sold in supermarkets and markets to generate cash income), such as rice, wheat, corn, and other grains, plus a countable number of vegetables, appear on the dinner table. Before World War II, records show that many more grains and vegetables were used for food.

Why was there a loss of food diversity?

The trigger was the "Green Revolution" that took place between the 1940s and 1960s. The advent of F1 varieties made possible the mass production of single varieties of agricultural products.

As the "Green Revolution" progressed, chemical fertilizers were introduced, irrigation systems (water drawn from rivers and lakes to enrich farmland) were developed, insecticides and herbicides were sprayed to prevent insect infestation, and mechanization of farm work was promoted. The productivity of grains improved, and a massive increase in food production was achieved.

The race to develop new F1 varieties has become a worldwide competition. Yields per unit area (unit yield) increased, saving people from starvation and facing death from food shortages. This is the greatest achievement of the "Green Revolution. Although it failed in Africa for various reasons, the "Green Revolution," which began with the introduction of F1 varieties, has been hailed as a success story in achieving agricultural modernization.

In areas where F1 varieties were introduced, grain yields did indeed increase dramatically in the short term. However, negative aspects gradually began to appear. The cause is chemical fertilizers and pesticides (insecticides and herbicides) that are introduced at the same time as F1 varieties.

Since the objective of F1 cultivation is to mass-produce crops through monoculture, it is assumed that large amounts of chemical fertilizers will be applied. This also results in the proliferation of weeds, which in turn increases the amount of herbicides used. The use of insecticides also increases as large farms grow mono-crops for greater efficiency and are more susceptible to feeding damage by certain insects.

Modern agriculture (conventional farming methods) since the "Green Revolution" has certainly increased yields in the short term. However, from the viewpoint of sustainable agriculture, negative aspects such as soil degradation due to acidification and salinization caused by chemical fertilizers (in arid regions where evaporation of water from farmland exceeds rainfall, salts accumulate in the soil due to evaporation of water from farmland, causing desertification) and an increase in weeds and insects that are resistant to agricultural chemicals, have also become prominent. The negative aspects are also becoming more noticeable.

F1 seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides (insecticides and herbicides), and irrigation systems are taken for granted in modern agriculture (conventional farming methods). The cost of these materials and equipment must be paid by the farmer, directly or indirectly.

Areas that did not store native species have to continue to use F1 species.

( to be continued )

※ Cotton and other commodity crops face the same problem.