Heirloom crops, indigenous varieties are making a comeback


Among the comforting certainties that make life navigable are things we take for granted — okra is green, corn is yellow and sweet potato has brown skin. What we seldom pause to ponder is that this wasn’t necessarily the case always. The colours we associate with vegetables and fruits just happen to be from strains that are most suited for large-scale cultivation, and became consequently dominant over a period of time. A movement is now afoot among a small band of farmers, activists and plant breeders across India to bring back varieties that thrived in the past, lending a greater diversity and colour to our farms and plates. Their harvest includes red okra, black and blue corn, purple sweet potato, white- and purple-striped groundnut and other varieties. While consumers are finding these healthier and exotic, farmers are finding them more remunerative and pest-resistant. Restaurants love adding them to the menu because of the novelty factor. “The list of unknown or le .. Read more at: //economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/71457484.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

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