a) The Northern (developed) countries are gene poor while those in the South (developing) are gene rich [see Table 1]. The North is technology rich while the South is technology poor. The Green Revolution and current biotechnology research have widened this gap.

b) The importation of advanced breeding lines from the North into the South has replaced traditional landraces but contributes to a greater yield in the short-run if supplied with enough inputs that causes unstable and/or lower yield in the long-run (Malik and Zafar 2005).

..................Table 1 Centre of Origin of Crops

S. No	Centre of origin	Crops
1	Southwest Asia (Fertile Crescent)	Cereals, legumes (peas, lentils, barley) and diploid cotton
2	Africa	Barley, emmer, flax, chickpea, pea, lentil, lettuce, onion, fig, grape, olive, millets, sorghum, African rice, yams, coffee
3	China and Southeast Asia	Millet, vegetables, soybeans, rice, citrus, tea, Bananas, mangoes, coconut, sugar cane
4	America (Mexico South America)	Maize, potato, sweet potato, bean, tomato, chili pepper, peanut, bottle gourds, cucurbits, sunflower, cotton, pineapple, papaya, avocado, tobacco, cassava (manioc), cacao (source of chocolate), vanilla, cashew, pecan, Brazil nut, ornamental flowers (Zinnia,marigold, Fuchsia, Canna, Nicotiana,Salvia)

Source: World Atlas of Biodiversity, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, USA, 2002