naiyou

Agriculture has largely modified, damaged or destroyed the ecosystems in which it is practiced, and it has been said that the beginning of agriculture entailed the beginning of environmental destruction. Across present day Eurasia, there are large differences in both agricultural productivity and the extent of environmental deterioration. In the Central Asian desert, it is now almost impossible to conduct any agricultural activity. In the monsoon region, vegetation and water are still plentiful. Our project focuses on different aspects of environmental deterioration associated with the ten thousand year history of agriculture. We also seek to deepen our understanding of the loss of plant genetic diversity during this long timespan of interaction between agriculture and environment.