139 Nature using short tines if at all That way it doesn t dry out as much and the soil structure is left intact Leaving well enough alone is a general tenet of or ganic agriculture Plants have time to grow and develop flavour in contrast to thirsty non organ ic crops treated with the usual nitrogen fertiliser which causes them to soak up water and end up tasting as bland as a Dutch greenhouse toma to in winter Flavour is also hugely influenced by the seed that is sown which is also a matter of great signifi cance for biodiversity in our world Open pollinat ed seed is commonly used in organic agriculture Plants grown from this kind of seed will produce seeds Naturally They are genetically diverse and ideally suited to specific regions and climates In non organic agriculture F1 hybrid seed is al most exclusively used This intensively bred seed is a cross of different parent species or varieties and is meant to produce one thing a uniform crop yield Hybrid seeds spell a financial disadvantage for farmers because the plants grown from them are either completely sterile or if they do pro duce seeds subsequent crops will be poor and may look very different from the parent plants This means that farmers are trapped into pur chasing new seed each time they sow and cannot save their own seed as before Moreover hybrid seed is designed to be used in combination with specific fertilisers and pesticides to achieve the promised yields This agribusiness concept has ruined many a farmer particularly in emerging countries The expensive hybrid seeds and requi site fertiliser and spraying equipment are bought on credit Many farmers do not realise that they will have to purchase hybrid seeds again the fol lowing year This is exactly why open pollinated varieties are a great blessing Plus they enhance biodiversity partly because they can reproduce but also because they are a source of nourish ment for many insects Insects also thrive when big trees grow on organ ic operations Sometimes trees provide shade for delicate plants other times they protect the soil On steep slopes the roots of trees form Natural erosion barriers together with smaller plants Coffee plantations are frequently covered in impatiens also known as Busy Lizzie to prevent erosion Many of us have seen this flower in our grandparents window boxes Insects in and around trees at tract birds Birds keep insect populations down preventing possible crop damage Trees serve another purpose in agroforestry Climbing plants like vanilla orchids and black pepper vines can wind around them protected from sun and wind a rather different sight than the forests of poles with a bit of netting for sun protection used on non organic operations Pepper corns grown in a beautiful agroforest simply have got to be more flavourful

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