What if 90% of your country’s vegetable varieties became extinct within 100 years…well they have!
In the past the world was made full of specialized locally bred plant varieties, sold by small seed companies and propagated by gardeners. This produced an abundance of regional strains with distinctive flavours and pest/disease resistant properties. But in the 20th century 75% of agricultural biodiversity was lost worldwide, i.e. 75% of food plants cultivated by previous generations have become extinct. The Irish Seed Savers Association was set up in 1991 with the objective of preventing the further extinction of Irish-bred agricultural varieties. The Association operates from a 20-acre site in Co. Clare and a 4-acre site in Co. Kilkenny and runs courses on seed saving, organic gardening, orchard creation and fruit tree grafting. Signpost Tours would be delighted to incorporate this as part of your tour to Ireland to see the achievements to Irish biological diversity being carried out by the Irish Seed Savers Association.