@Artisan_recycler Incidentally, #maslins are also a great analogy for why it's useful to keep rare *human* variants in a diverse gene pool rather than forcing genetic uniformity via #eugenics. This is particularly relevant for #autistic and other #neurodivergent folks like myself, who have historically been removed from the gene pool with prejudice whenever decent people turn their backs for a moment. (And now there is the new threat of detecting us before birth and either aborting us for that reason alone or editing our genes to be "normal".) Our continued existence is good for the human race as a whole. Society shouldn't be so quick to "cure" us or prevent us from existing in the first place.

@Artisan_recycler I am curious to learn more about this. It is my understanding that modern farming practices, while far from perfect or environmentally friendly, have *vastly* increased the food production efficiency over practices from previous centuries.

One thing that I did recently learn about that is an exception is the concept of #maslins, which are mixed-grain fields whose composition dynamically adjusts automatically with both long- and short-term climate variations. The grains that are best adapted to the current climate naturally increase in proportion, but it quickly springs back when climate change reverses direction. It's like a learning algorithm implemented in the form of seeds, which is, frankly, awesome! And it's an ancient technique, not something newly invented.

With El Niño set to return in 2023 the recent Science Alert that a Fluke Discovery of Ancient Farming Technique Could Stabilize Crop Yields becomes more urgent

Planting maslins – a combined mix of cereals that can include rice, millet, wheat, rye, barley and more - increases the chance of a good yield due to diversity and at least one grain type surviving. They are harvested together to be separated or used as a single product

#ScienceAlert #TheGuardian #ElNiño #ElNiña #Maslins #Wheat #Barley

Science Alert article https://www.sciencealert.com/fluke-discovery-of-ancient-farming-technique-could-stabilize-crop-yields

The Guardian El Niño article https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/16/return-of-el-nino-will-cause-off-the-chart-temperature-rise-climate-crisis