The New Scientist interviews Stefano Padulosi, head of underutilised food crops for the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. He travels the world, finding crops that ought to be used for food alongside the more common crops. Over 95% of the planet’s foodstuff comes from only 30 varieties of plant. Sound like putting all your eggs in one basket? I find it fun to grow uncommon plants in my own garden. Two varieties of Amaranth. Quinoa. Native corn. Domesticated lambsquarters (yum!). Unique watermelons. Heirloom tomatoes. And so on. Why grow the same old stuff you can get at the grocery? If you’re going to grow your own brocolli (for example), try to find something besides the ultra-selected Burpee’s variety. Seeds of Change is a nice place to start.