Biological diversity
There are between 6 and 7,000 plant species in the world that are used for food. Yet 66% of all crops come from just nine species . The nine are sugarcane, maize, rice, wheat, potato, soybean, sugar beet, cassava and oil palm. The diversity of varieties in agriculture has declined rapidly worldwide over the past hundred years. The genetic diversity of food plants is crucial for agriculture. What we manage to preserve for the future determines what opportunities future generations will have to grow food under changing climate and environmental conditions.