Modern wheat, the most widely grow crop on the planet, has its ancient homeland in the lands of Jordan-Palestine-Israel. But the ancient wheats that nourished our early civilizations are almost extinct today. Although indigenous wheats have been selected by generations of traditional farmers to be drought tolerant and resistant to local disease complexes, and have rich, delicious flavor, they are being replaced by modern cultivars bred for yield and uniformity for industrialized food systems. As urbanization increases, and farmers struggle to make a living, the traditional knowledge of seed-saving and community seed systems have broken down. The wheat varieties best suited to our traditional farms, that impart that special flavor to our traditional cuisines, are disappearing.
Modern wheat, the most widely grow crop on the planet, has its ancient homeland in the lands of Jordan-Palestine-Israel. But the ancient wheats that nourished our early civilizations are almost extinct today. Although indigenous wheats have been selected by generations of traditional farmers to be drought tolerant and resistant to local disease complexes, and have rich, delicious flavor, they are being replaced by modern cultivars bred for yield and uniformity for industrialized food systems. As urbanization increases, and farmers struggle to make a living, the traditional knowledge of seed-saving and community seed systems have broken down. The wheat varieties best suited to our traditional farms, that impart that special flavor to our traditional cuisines, are disappearing.