Our Dwindling Food Variety

The infographic linked below shows how many varieties of fruits and vegetables people used to be able to buy. Now this shows American data, and no doubt there were many regional variations and also many cases of the same vegetable having different names in different places, but even so, the idea that we could go from 544 varieties of cabbage to 28 is startling.
National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com

There's no reason to believe that Australia is any better than America in this regard. I think it's a big issue for planning, albeit tangentially. Unusual varieties of food plants thrive in conditions where lots of people are growing their own food and saving and sharing their own seeds. This encourages regional genetic diversity amongst plants, as people with varying climactic conditions will only save the seeds that perform best in their environment.

To me this suggests that planning and urban design policies which discourage home gardens work against food security by reducing the conditions which encourage genetic diversity in food plant species. I refer to policies which restrict garden size, estates that are 'designed' so that all front gardens must look similar and which reduce social interaction. Vegetable gardening often flourishes in conditions where people can share their oversupply of produce and also share their seeds. It promotes social interaction.

I would like to see planning and urban design policies which encourage the humble vegie garden more. Maybe the big developers could plant espaliered fruit trees along driveways as part of the landscaping package in new estates. Even better, perhaps they could set aside land for community gardens: there could even be a trade-off of smaller lot sizes for dwellings but mandatory access to a plot in the community garden - similar to the allotment policies previously practiced in Great Britain. Councils should not ban people from planting out their nature strip with food plants if they want to.

I would also like to see garden design fashions encourage productive gardening. I'm seriously considering ripping up my front lawn and setting out a vegetable garden instead. Why should a front garden have to consist of a lawn and garden beds? Yes I might lose a few carrots every now and again but the way I see it, if someone is desperate enough to steal vegies, well I don't mind making the donation.