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Imagine investing your entire life savings in a single company or investment. That’s essentially what has happened to our food system. We desperately need diversity in agriculture, specifically diversity in crops. A food system and seed system filled with diversity provides us with much-needed resilience. One farmer on the windswept Welsh coast in Pembrokeshire is on a personal mission to reintroduce black oats to his land.
Black oats were once a common grain that seemed to disappear. When I was about 10 years old, everyone was growing black oats. It was everywhere. But why did we let it go? Black oats are typically used for soil improvement and animal feed. However, they fell out of favor as the agriculture industry shifted to modern farming techniques and other varieties that better suited their needs.
The phasing out of black oats is just a small reflection of a larger trend in agriculture. We’ve made tremendous breakthroughs in crop breeding and production techniques, which have allowed us to prioritize yield. However, this focus on yield has led to a more fragile global food system due to the spread of genetic uniformity. This uniformity has created risks and vulnerabilities, as seen with the globally traded banana variety, Cavendish, which is now susceptible to Panama disease.
According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation, we have lost approximately 75% of plant genetic diversity between 1900 and 2000. Fortunately, farms like Gerald’s are working to address this problem, albeit on a small scale. Farmers in certain parts of the world still grow ancient crop varieties that have been passed down through generations.
Gerald’s personal quest to restore black oats finally came to fruition when he found seeds from another Welsh farmer. This discovery meant a great deal to him, as he has a passion for ancient varieties and intends to continue sourcing and preserving them. Gerald’s efforts are not isolated, as other farms are also looking to preserve near-forgotten seeds.
Llafur Ni, which means ‘Our Grains’, is a network founded by Gerald and Katie to work with growers and farmers in the UK and Ireland. They aim to build a more resilient seed system that is accessible to all, instead of being controlled by a small number of corporations. Currently, four companies collectively known as ABCD – Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus – dominate over 70% of the global grain trade.
The concentration of seed production and distribution in the hands of these companies, originally chemical companies, has resulted in a more uniform grain market. This uniformity increases the vulnerability of the global food system to shocks such as disease and climate change. Llafur Ni and similar initiatives offer an alternative to this consolidated system.
In collaboration with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences in Aberystwyth, Llafur Ni trialed and tested different crop varieties to identify their genetic traits. The institute also has a seed bank with over 30,000 seeds from around the world, which they have shared with Llafur Ni. This partnership allows for the breeding of new crop strains better suited to changing climatic conditions.
Gerald’s black oats crop looks promising this year, and he hopes to harvest a significant amount. Gradually, this region could see a revival in crop diversity, starting with the reintroduction of black oats. The Llafur Ni project may seem small in the grand scheme, but it highlights the importance of diversity in our food system.
We all have a role to play in supporting diversity. Whether it’s trying new varieties of apples, supporting farmers who use unique breeds of livestock or seeking out bakers who use unusual grains for their bread, we can actively contribute to these new supply chains that celebrate diversity. By doing so, we can help revive and protect our food heritage.
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