VARIETAL MIXTURES - A VIABLE STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTIVITY INSUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE

Remarkable parallels link the development of varietal mixtures across subsistence farming systems. Mixtures are grown and persist because th ey prolong harvest and income flow and provide diversity of diet. From our review of research on agronomic and disease aspects of mixtures i n modern agriculture, it is also clear that improved stability and dec reased disease severity are common features of mixtures relative to th eir components in monoculture. Such advantages are of value to both mo dern and subsistence agriculture. However, in the majority of cases, t he yield advantage of mixtures is small. Overall, we conclude that var ietal mixtures are presently a viable strategy for sustainable product ivity in subsistence agriculture, have potential for improvement witho ut sacrifice of diversity, are an important resource for future global food production and may have an expanding role in modern agriculture in situations where qualitative uniformity is not the guiding priority .