Researchers say small farmers hold up to 75 percent of the seeds to produce the huge array of crops grown around the world, says Reuters. It quotes Penn State geography professor Karl Zimmer as saying farmers with less than seven acres of land preserve crop diversity through “networks of seed and knowledge exchanges.” A UN agency says the lion’s share of food is generated from 12 plant and five animal species. While large-scale commercial farms specialize in a few varieties, small farmers often plant several species of the same food crop, which gives them a more resilient supply and increases the diversity of plants. Reuters quotes an official of the International Fund for Agriculture Development as saying, “As a society, we are increasingly exposed to shocks and risks [in our food systems] …. We need diversity as a base in case something goes wrong.”