The Story of Seeds: From Mendel's Garden to Your Plate, and How There's More of Less to Eat Around the World

by Nancy Castaldo

Overview

Something as small as a seed can have a worldwide impact. Did you know there are top-secret seed vaults hidden throughout the world? And once a seed disappears, that’s it—it’s gone forever? With the growth of genetically modified foods, the use of many seeds is dwindling—of 80,000 edible plants, only about 150 are being cultivated. With a global cast of men and women, scientists and laypeople, and photographic documentation, Nancy Castaldo chronicles where our food comes from, and more importantly, where it is going as she digs deeper into the importance of seeds in our world. This empowering book also calls young adult readers to action with suggestions as to how they can preserve the variety of one of our most valuable food sources through simple everyday actions. Readers of Michael Pollen will enjoy the depth and fascinatingly intricate social economy of seeds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544320239
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	1110L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Nancy Castaldo has been writing about the planet for decades. She’s contributed to the Sierra Club Waste Paper, NRDC’s Personal Action column, and others. She is the author of many STEM books including, Sniffer Dogs: How Dogs (and Their Noses) Save the World, Back from The Brink: Saving Animals From Extinction, and Beastly Brains: Exploring How Animals Think, Talk, and Feel. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Website: nancycastaldo.com
Twitter: @NCastaldoAuthor
Instagram: @naturespeak

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Seeds at Risk 1

Chapter 2 Seed Pioneers 4

Chapter 3 Spoils of War 23

Chapter 4 Variety Is the Spice of Life 34

Chapter 5 The New Genetics 57

Chapter 6 A Return to Heirlooms 72

Chapter 7 The Ultimate Safety Net 85

Chapter 8 Hope and Action 102

Call to Action 110

Resources 115

Seed Libraries 116

Additional Resources 121

Glossary 123

Authors Note 124

Sources 126

Timeline 130

Index 132

Editorial Reviews

01/11/2016
In a topical blend of history, ecology, and social science, written in the tradition of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Castaldo (Sniffer Dogs) explains how seeds are fundamentally important to survival on Earth. While readers may think of seeds as ubiquitous and readily sustainable (if they think of them at all), historical examples of famine, such as the Great Hunger in Ireland, speak to the catastrophe that can result from a lack of crop diversity. Castaldo breaks down threats like climate change and disease, while providing a greater sense of interconnectivity in nature and within world communities. Offsetting a potentially dour or dire narrative, Castaldo profiles activist “Seed Warriors” who have championed the protection of agrobiodiversity; photographs of fruits, vegetables, and seeds appear throughout. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

National Science Teachers Association 2017 Top Science Trade Books for K-12 Students Nerdy Book Club Nerdies 2016 Longform Nonfiction Nonfiction Detectives: Best of 2016 Northland College Young Adult Notable Book Green Earth Book Award – YA Nonfiction 2017 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Notable book * "A terrific, engrossing resource." —Booklist, STARRED review "This eye-opening book on the science and politics of agriculture serves as a wake-up call to readers about the fragility of something many of us take for granted: our plant-based food supply. Castaldo clearly lays out a case for the importance of plant diversity (“Seeds equal life”), presenting engaging scientific and historical information..." —Horn Book Magazine "An impassioned call to action..." —School Library Journal "Castaldo delivers a sobering global status report—and a call to action...Well-crafted and inspiring." —Kirkus "Castaldo breaks down threats like climate change and disease, while providing a greater sense of interconnectivity in nature and within world communities." —Publishers Weekly —

From the Publisher

03/01/2016
Gr 5–8—Castaldo notes that because of climate change, big farming, and habitat loss, our planet is losing biodiversity "at a depressing rate," and she proceeds to lay out the frightening hazards of monocultural agriculture—from the Irish potato famine to the current decimation of banana and coffee species—and the use of genetically engineered seed stock. Along with doing her best to raise reader anxiety about this issue with statistics and ominous trends, she also highlights the often-heroic efforts of scientists to create and preserve seed banks, notably the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry in Saint Petersburg and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. Additionally, she introduces a slate of worthy "Seed Warriors," from pioneers such as Luther Burbank and Nikolai Vavilov to the contemporary likes of Dr. Sanaa Abdul Wahab El Sheikh in Iraq, chef Sibella Kraus, Indian activist Dr. Vandana Shiva, and Carl White Eagle Barnes, "Cherokee Corn Elder." The author caps her plea for action with suggested activities and with extensive lists of print and online resources, seed "libraries" in and beyond the United States, and advocacy organizations. As Castaldo cites examples of biopiracy and agroterrorism and contrasts genetic modification research with "natural" hybridization, her approach is distinctly alarmist; offer Natalie Regis's Genetically Modified Crops and Food (Britannica, 2016) to readers after a more judicious evaluation of GMOs. VERDICT An impassioned call to action, likely to leave readers both scared and inspired.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City

School Library Journal

2015-11-03
Championing seeds as one of our planet's most precious and vulnerable resources, Castaldo delivers a sobering global status report—and a call to action. Citing our food's precipitous decline in genetic biodiversity, Castaldo introduces readers to the pioneering plant scientists Gregor Mendel, Luther Burbank, and Nikolai Vavilov. Their respective work (in genetics, hybridization, and the collection and preservation of threatened seed varieties) contrasts starkly with the modern practice of genetically engineering and patenting seed for profit by corporate monoliths. Castaldo vividly sketches Vavilov, whose visionary global conservation expeditions yielded the world's first seed bank. Falsely implicated and imprisoned by Stalin's regime, Vavilov died of starvation in a prison camp. Indeed, seeds are both casualties and spoils of war. The Nazis, the Taliban, and other aggressors have stolen or destroyed seed stores, while brave scientists have transported and hidden these critical resources. Blending clear exposition with urgent polemic, Castaldo highlights the important distinction between hybridization and genetic modification of seed, the perils of monoculture, and the David-and-Goliath battles of family farmers vs. Monsanto. She profiles the work of Dr. Vandana Shiva and others—worldwide advocates for farmers' rights to reclaim, sow, and save genetically clean seeds. Concluding chapters explore heirlooms, the farm-to-table food movement, and exhilarating efforts—both formal and grass-roots—to save and safeguard our remaining, regionally adapted seed. Well-crafted and inspiring. (call to action, resources, seed libraries, glossary, author's note, sources, timeline, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)

Kirkus Reviews