Is Our Lack of Biodiversity Causing Food Insecurity?

Imagine you are trying to refurbish a 1967 corvette, as you are working on the engine, you only have multiple batteries, alternators, and radiators. You cannot exactly make that corvette drive with only those parts. Similarly, we are trying to feed the world with only a few resources. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization for the UN) said that "3/4 of the the genetic diversity in agricultural crops has been lost just in the last century! Of 6,300 animal breeds. 1350 are endangered or extinct. Just twelve crops and fourteen animal species feed the world today." Do you think this has caused food prices to rise? I think so! Also, the surge to continue the mass-production of these few resources has forced the other ones to disappear. We cut down biologically diverse forests and replant with a few tree species. This has caused a change in the diet of animals. The same thing has happened to humans. We have removed the biodiversity of food of the world causing a change in diet to all people. We now eat genetically-modified versions of the same product. Just look at how many things contain the ingredient, corn. A list of some corn products can be found here: http://www.livecornfree.com/2010/04/ingredients-derived-from-corn-what-to.html

But what if we, stewards of the earth, strove for biodiversity?

Biodiversity is so important to not only food production and diet but also environmental conservation. We cannot continue exploit nature to give us the few varieties of resources that we want and can modify. This has caused an unequal distribution of resources. 

What if we had small scale polycultural systems of farming? This not only is a traditional form of farming, but it also allows numerous plant species to grow. This in turn causes diversity in the animal kingdom. 

Biodiversity might cause that corvette to start running.

-MAU