100 years ago, people were eating things that most of us will never taste. So what happened?

In 1905, a book was published called “The Apples of New York.” The book highlighted hundreds of different apple varieties – most of which have disappeared in the century since the book was published.

100 years ago, people were eating things that most of us will never taste. So what happened? 100 years ago, people were eating things that most of us will never taste. So what happened? Apples2 752b2c96dc735e8c8cd47670dd41ad10Image: Upworthy

It’s actually believed that we once had thousands of apple varieties, most of which have been eradicated thanks to industrial agriculture. There are several varieties which only exist in research centers and on preservations. In place of these thousands of apple varieties, we now have 15 apple varieties that make up for 90% of all apple sales in the nation.

But this swift and drastic change is not just limited to apples. Reports indicate 75% of our agricultural crops have disappeared, leaving us with 12 crops that are grown primarily by farmers in the U.S.

So what’s responsible for all of this change? Much of it can, in fact, be attributed to seed regulation. Unlike in years past, many seeds are now patented and designed by companies like Monsanto to produce a specific amount of food come harvest time, preventing farmers from distributing the seeds amongst themselves.
Bottom Line: In the past century, 75% of our food varieties have disappeared thanks to industrial agriculture!

But fret not – all’s not lost. There are several small farmers across the world working to counter the tight control held on seed distribution by large companies. These farmers form what is known as seed sharing groups and store thousands of seeds from all over the world in buildings known as seed banks. Watch a video about one such group below.

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Jesse Herman is a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. He writes and produces video  at PowerfulPrimates.com. Jesse began his alternative health journey after chronic back pain and has not looked back since. Follow him on Youtube and Facebook (also more Facebook), broadcasting out of Brazil, Florida, and in a dark distant cave (with internet).

Original Article: RealFarmacy.com