Are we allowing seeds to die out which we might need in the future? The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation estimates that in the last 100 years we've lost 75 per cent of plant diversity. Mexico has lost 80 per cent of its maize varieties and farmers in the Philippines who used to grow thousands of kinds of rice, now grow just two.
The preservation of seeds depends, to some extent, on consumer demand but much of what is grown around the globe is dictated by large seed companies. If we let seed varieties die out then will we be able to cope if there is significant climate change or if a crop becomes prey to disease?
In Norway a huge seed bank is being built to preserve seeds and plant genes from all over the world - but what about the seeds that need to be kept alive? Sheila Dillon finds out about seed banks, seed swaps and how to protect our seeds from dying out.
Reporter Alison Cutts visits Brighton's annual seed swap, Seedy Sunday, to meet some seed-sharers with endangered tastes. She talks to seed sharers Ben Gabel and his wife who run the Real Seed Catalogue and Fran Saunders, one of the organisers of Seedy Sunday.
Sheila Dillon talks to Dominique Guillet, founder of the Kokopelli Seed Foundation, from his home in the Ardeche.
Reporter Richard Crompton visits AVRDC, the African arm of the World Vegetable Centre at Arusha in Tanzania, one of the developing world projects researching improvements to native plants. He talks to Dr. Mel Oluouch and Dr. Detlev Virchow.
Sheila Dillon talks to Professor Cary Fowler from The Global Crop Diversity Trust in Rome.
They are joined by Melinda Smale, co-leader of a research programme about economics and genetic resources at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC and Patrick Mulvany, Chair of the UK Food Group and Senior Policy advisor to Practical Action.
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Presenting The Food Programme has been Sheila's perfect job.