TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Esther Meduna: Why our future relies on the genetic diversity of food

Unscramble the Blue Letters

If we still lived as hunters and gatherers on wild plums and aamilns alone, then there would be only about 25 million people on ertah today. Now the population is over seven billion, which is due to a change in our way of life from over 10,000 years ago. Some of your and my ancestors saw the potential in certain wild plants and animals and setartd domesticating them. This happened through cnonoiutus cultivation and selection of those plants with a speaicl capacity - only a small part of wild plants and animals can be domesticated at all. Let's have a look at this plant, for example. Isn't it amazing that out of this wild cababge, kale, cauliflower and all the other cabbage varieties were developed? This development into a culture plant did, of course, not happen overnight but took thousands of years, and it took several hundreds of generations of humans. That's why they are a real cultural heritage, just like the Eiffel Tower or a Van Gogh painting. So, maybe the next time you bite into a cauliflower, be awrae that you're eating a kind of Mona Lisa. (Laughter) Through domestication process, a huge diversity arsoe. For almost every part of the world, species and varieties that fit the special conditions were found. In Switzerland, for example, there were dnstiict varieties in almost every village, like the Küttiger carrot or the Uster apple. I like to watch the reactions of peolpe at etbiiihoxns of traditional varieties. It is clearly split by age. Older the people say, 'Oh, I remember this variety from my grandmother's garden.' And younger people, they are just amazed and say, 'I didn't know there were so many different ones', and then they take out their phone and take a picture. (leauthgr) But apart from being a cultural heritage or simply being beautiful, do we really need this much diversity? Would not one single variety of each crop be enough? What happens if a polotapiun depends too much on a slnige variety was highlighted in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The irsih were mostly cultivating a potato variety called the Lumper. patoteos of the same variety are clones and thus genetically identical. So when a new diaesse arrived with the potato blight, it had a very easy game, and it drestoeyd the crops in consecutive years. The sad consequence was that about a million people died, and one and a half miloiln Irish had to emigrate. We can see from this that nature does not agree with monocultures, as they can be eaisly wiped out by a single disease. The ntieavs in South America, for example, do not grow only one single potato variety but many, many different ones. Like this, they always have a yield, as the varieties differ in their reaction to pests and drier or wetter years. A more current example to show that monocultures are only short living is the banana. It may well be that in a few yaers, you will not be able to eat one anymore. The trade relies to 95 percent on a single variety which is grown on large plantations. These are now threatened by the Panama disease. There is no other variety to replace it at the moment. And to make my point for diversity very celar, let's look at it from a completely different angle. If you were so lucky to be a millionaire, you would not put all your money on the same stock, but you would diversify because the risk of lsnoig everything is too big. But, in agriculture, instead of diversifying and msniinimig the risk, what we are doing is the exact opposite. And this funnel represents the cenonrcttoain which is taking place at every leevl. filrtsy, it rtespnrees the people working in agriculture. At the beginning of the 20th cuntrey, it was 60 peercnt of the population. Now, it is down to three percent. And it stands for the seed companies. In 1970, there were 7,000 companies, and none had a market share of over 0.5%. Now, the top five hold 60 percent of the market. And it stands for the huge loss in diversity. In the last 150 years, we lost 75 percent of all varieties ever selected by humans. They have gone forever. One reason for this huge loss is the industrialisation of every culture and with it the appearance of modern hybrid seeds. For fmraers and gardeners, hybrid seeds are a dead end because they do not stay true to type when you take the sdees. You have to buy them every year, and thus, they are an extremely good bssunies model, as you have to rely on the companies. Traditional vearetiis, on the other hand, can be regrown by everybody who wants to, year after year, by saving your own seeds. With tatiairdnol varieties, many ways are possible, and this is what makes them powerful. They can be the base for a more sbinatuslae aircrualgtul ftuure. We do not know what challenges lie ahead and what new traits will be necessary, but the more diversity we can suaafregd now, the better the chances are that we will have the suitable varieties at hand for the future. And that is why I would like this funnel to be rsevered again. With urban gaenrdnig and farming and community supported atcriugurle, reversing this process has already started. And that is why we from the praorpseiecra Foundation try to save as many different traditional varieties as possible. At the moment we're safeguarding 1,600 different vegetable varieties in our seed library here in Basel, and the nubemr is still gwnoirg. We think it's important to sow the seeds every year so that they can apadt to changing environment. We would need a very large garden to be able to do so, but fortunately, we have the help of over 500 volunteers who grow the varieties in their own garden and then send the saved seeds back to us. Without them, our work and that of other seed saving organisations would not be possible. You can also be part in rrseenvig this process. To be honest, seed saving is quite difficult with most crops, but some are rather easy. Tomatoes, for example, are very splmie and very rewarding. Have you ever eaten a sun-ripe tomato fesrh from the plant? The taste of it excels that of the spreuekrmat type by far. And instead of eating only red and round ones, you can choose from a huge variety in color, shape and size. I'm sure you would find one that sutis you. All you need is a snnuy spot on your balcony or in front of your house, a pot, earth and wetar. When a tomato is ripe, the seeds are ripe as well. So if you want to get the seeds from a very good vtareiy, you just put the seeds in a glass and let them sit for one or two days. Then you rinse them and let them dry. As nature is abundant, you will get a large amount of seeds, which you can share with your friends and fialmy and resow next spring. By sowing and sharing them, you will keep a link alive to what your and my ancestors have been doing for thousands of years, and bring it into the future. I hope you will give it a try. Thank you. (aslauppe)

Open Cloze

If we still lived as hunters and gatherers on wild plums and _______ alone, then there would be only about 25 million people on _____ today. Now the population is over seven billion, which is due to a change in our way of life from over 10,000 years ago. Some of your and my ancestors saw the potential in certain wild plants and animals and _______ domesticating them. This happened through __________ cultivation and selection of those plants with a _______ capacity - only a small part of wild plants and animals can be domesticated at all. Let's have a look at this plant, for example. Isn't it amazing that out of this wild _______, kale, cauliflower and all the other cabbage varieties were developed? This development into a culture plant did, of course, not happen overnight but took thousands of years, and it took several hundreds of generations of humans. That's why they are a real cultural heritage, just like the Eiffel Tower or a Van Gogh painting. So, maybe the next time you bite into a cauliflower, be _____ that you're eating a kind of Mona Lisa. (Laughter) Through domestication process, a huge diversity _____. For almost every part of the world, species and varieties that fit the special conditions were found. In Switzerland, for example, there were ________ varieties in almost every village, like the Küttiger carrot or the Uster apple. I like to watch the reactions of ______ at ___________ of traditional varieties. It is clearly split by age. Older the people say, 'Oh, I remember this variety from my grandmother's garden.' And younger people, they are just amazed and say, 'I didn't know there were so many different ones', and then they take out their phone and take a picture. (________) But apart from being a cultural heritage or simply being beautiful, do we really need this much diversity? Would not one single variety of each crop be enough? What happens if a __________ depends too much on a ______ variety was highlighted in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The _____ were mostly cultivating a potato variety called the Lumper. ________ of the same variety are clones and thus genetically identical. So when a new _______ arrived with the potato blight, it had a very easy game, and it _________ the crops in consecutive years. The sad consequence was that about a million people died, and one and a half _______ Irish had to emigrate. We can see from this that nature does not agree with monocultures, as they can be ______ wiped out by a single disease. The _______ in South America, for example, do not grow only one single potato variety but many, many different ones. Like this, they always have a yield, as the varieties differ in their reaction to pests and drier or wetter years. A more current example to show that monocultures are only short living is the banana. It may well be that in a few _____, you will not be able to eat one anymore. The trade relies to 95 percent on a single variety which is grown on large plantations. These are now threatened by the Panama disease. There is no other variety to replace it at the moment. And to make my point for diversity very _____, let's look at it from a completely different angle. If you were so lucky to be a millionaire, you would not put all your money on the same stock, but you would diversify because the risk of ______ everything is too big. But, in agriculture, instead of diversifying and __________ the risk, what we are doing is the exact opposite. And this funnel represents the _____________ which is taking place at every _____. _______, it __________ the people working in agriculture. At the beginning of the 20th _______, it was 60 _______ of the population. Now, it is down to three percent. And it stands for the seed companies. In 1970, there were 7,000 companies, and none had a market share of over 0.5%. Now, the top five hold 60 percent of the market. And it stands for the huge loss in diversity. In the last 150 years, we lost 75 percent of all varieties ever selected by humans. They have gone forever. One reason for this huge loss is the industrialisation of every culture and with it the appearance of modern hybrid seeds. For _______ and gardeners, hybrid seeds are a dead end because they do not stay true to type when you take the _____. You have to buy them every year, and thus, they are an extremely good ________ model, as you have to rely on the companies. Traditional _________, on the other hand, can be regrown by everybody who wants to, year after year, by saving your own seeds. With ___________ varieties, many ways are possible, and this is what makes them powerful. They can be the base for a more ___________ ____________ ______. We do not know what challenges lie ahead and what new traits will be necessary, but the more diversity we can _________ now, the better the chances are that we will have the suitable varieties at hand for the future. And that is why I would like this funnel to be ________ again. With urban _________ and farming and community supported ___________, reversing this process has already started. And that is why we from the _____________ Foundation try to save as many different traditional varieties as possible. At the moment we're safeguarding 1,600 different vegetable varieties in our seed library here in Basel, and the ______ is still _______. We think it's important to sow the seeds every year so that they can _____ to changing environment. We would need a very large garden to be able to do so, but fortunately, we have the help of over 500 volunteers who grow the varieties in their own garden and then send the saved seeds back to us. Without them, our work and that of other seed saving organisations would not be possible. You can also be part in _________ this process. To be honest, seed saving is quite difficult with most crops, but some are rather easy. Tomatoes, for example, are very ______ and very rewarding. Have you ever eaten a sun-ripe tomato _____ from the plant? The taste of it excels that of the ___________ type by far. And instead of eating only red and round ones, you can choose from a huge variety in color, shape and size. I'm sure you would find one that _____ you. All you need is a _____ spot on your balcony or in front of your house, a pot, earth and _____. When a tomato is ripe, the seeds are ripe as well. So if you want to get the seeds from a very good _______, you just put the seeds in a glass and let them sit for one or two days. Then you rinse them and let them dry. As nature is abundant, you will get a large amount of seeds, which you can share with your friends and ______ and resow next spring. By sowing and sharing them, you will keep a link alive to what your and my ancestors have been doing for thousands of years, and bring it into the future. I hope you will give it a try. Thank you. (________)

Solution

century
people
percent
growing
years
exhibitions
fresh
traditional
arose
number
reversing
special
represents
sunny
variety
cabbage
varieties
million
agricultural
concentration
future
sustainable
potatoes
clear
adapt
firstly
losing
safeguard
water
single
disease
distinct
easily
continuous
gardening
farmers
irish
animals
simple
minimising
level
population
reversed
natives
prospecierara
earth
supermarket
aware
destroyed
laughter
family
agriculture
seeds
started
business
applause
suits

Original Text

If we still lived as hunters and gatherers on wild plums and animals alone, then there would be only about 25 million people on earth today. Now the population is over seven billion, which is due to a change in our way of life from over 10,000 years ago. Some of your and my ancestors saw the potential in certain wild plants and animals and started domesticating them. This happened through continuous cultivation and selection of those plants with a special capacity - only a small part of wild plants and animals can be domesticated at all. Let's have a look at this plant, for example. Isn't it amazing that out of this wild cabbage, kale, cauliflower and all the other cabbage varieties were developed? This development into a culture plant did, of course, not happen overnight but took thousands of years, and it took several hundreds of generations of humans. That's why they are a real cultural heritage, just like the Eiffel Tower or a Van Gogh painting. So, maybe the next time you bite into a cauliflower, be aware that you're eating a kind of Mona Lisa. (Laughter) Through domestication process, a huge diversity arose. For almost every part of the world, species and varieties that fit the special conditions were found. In Switzerland, for example, there were distinct varieties in almost every village, like the Küttiger carrot or the Uster apple. I like to watch the reactions of people at exhibitions of traditional varieties. It is clearly split by age. Older the people say, 'Oh, I remember this variety from my grandmother's garden.' And younger people, they are just amazed and say, 'I didn't know there were so many different ones', and then they take out their phone and take a picture. (Laughter) But apart from being a cultural heritage or simply being beautiful, do we really need this much diversity? Would not one single variety of each crop be enough? What happens if a population depends too much on a single variety was highlighted in Ireland in the mid 19th century. The Irish were mostly cultivating a potato variety called the Lumper. Potatoes of the same variety are clones and thus genetically identical. So when a new disease arrived with the potato blight, it had a very easy game, and it destroyed the crops in consecutive years. The sad consequence was that about a million people died, and one and a half million Irish had to emigrate. We can see from this that nature does not agree with monocultures, as they can be easily wiped out by a single disease. The natives in South America, for example, do not grow only one single potato variety but many, many different ones. Like this, they always have a yield, as the varieties differ in their reaction to pests and drier or wetter years. A more current example to show that monocultures are only short living is the banana. It may well be that in a few years, you will not be able to eat one anymore. The trade relies to 95 percent on a single variety which is grown on large plantations. These are now threatened by the Panama disease. There is no other variety to replace it at the moment. And to make my point for diversity very clear, let's look at it from a completely different angle. If you were so lucky to be a millionaire, you would not put all your money on the same stock, but you would diversify because the risk of losing everything is too big. But, in agriculture, instead of diversifying and minimising the risk, what we are doing is the exact opposite. And this funnel represents the concentration which is taking place at every level. Firstly, it represents the people working in agriculture. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was 60 percent of the population. Now, it is down to three percent. And it stands for the seed companies. In 1970, there were 7,000 companies, and none had a market share of over 0.5%. Now, the top five hold 60 percent of the market. And it stands for the huge loss in diversity. In the last 150 years, we lost 75 percent of all varieties ever selected by humans. They have gone forever. One reason for this huge loss is the industrialisation of every culture and with it the appearance of modern hybrid seeds. For farmers and gardeners, hybrid seeds are a dead end because they do not stay true to type when you take the seeds. You have to buy them every year, and thus, they are an extremely good business model, as you have to rely on the companies. Traditional varieties, on the other hand, can be regrown by everybody who wants to, year after year, by saving your own seeds. With traditional varieties, many ways are possible, and this is what makes them powerful. They can be the base for a more sustainable agricultural future. We do not know what challenges lie ahead and what new traits will be necessary, but the more diversity we can safeguard now, the better the chances are that we will have the suitable varieties at hand for the future. And that is why I would like this funnel to be reversed again. With urban gardening and farming and community supported agriculture, reversing this process has already started. And that is why we from the ProSpecieRara Foundation try to save as many different traditional varieties as possible. At the moment we're safeguarding 1,600 different vegetable varieties in our seed library here in Basel, and the number is still growing. We think it's important to sow the seeds every year so that they can adapt to changing environment. We would need a very large garden to be able to do so, but fortunately, we have the help of over 500 volunteers who grow the varieties in their own garden and then send the saved seeds back to us. Without them, our work and that of other seed saving organisations would not be possible. You can also be part in reversing this process. To be honest, seed saving is quite difficult with most crops, but some are rather easy. Tomatoes, for example, are very simple and very rewarding. Have you ever eaten a sun-ripe tomato fresh from the plant? The taste of it excels that of the supermarket type by far. And instead of eating only red and round ones, you can choose from a huge variety in color, shape and size. I'm sure you would find one that suits you. All you need is a sunny spot on your balcony or in front of your house, a pot, earth and water. When a tomato is ripe, the seeds are ripe as well. So if you want to get the seeds from a very good variety, you just put the seeds in a glass and let them sit for one or two days. Then you rinse them and let them dry. As nature is abundant, you will get a large amount of seeds, which you can share with your friends and family and resow next spring. By sowing and sharing them, you will keep a link alive to what your and my ancestors have been doing for thousands of years, and bring it into the future. I hope you will give it a try. Thank you. (Applause)

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
single variety	3
million people	2
wild plants	2
traditional varieties	2
potato variety	2
huge loss	2
hybrid seeds	2
seed saving	2

Important Words

abundant
adapt
age
agree
agricultural
agriculture
alive
amazed
amazing
america
amount
ancestors
angle
animals
anymore
appearance
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