According to paragraph 1, why does the writer mention...

Câu hỏi: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 44 to 50.
In 1845, a deadly disease struck the farms of Ireland, killing all the Lumper potato plants. In another place or time, the death of a single crop species might not have been so important. But in Ireland, in 1845, people depended almost solely on the potato for food. The death of one species caused a terrible famine. Now, some scientists are worried that such a famine could happen again—but on a much wider scale.
Over the centuries, farmers have discovered thousands of different species of food crops. Each species has special qualities. Some can be grown in very hot or cold climates. Others are not affected by certain diseases. However, you won't find many of these species in your local supermarket. To feed the seven billion people on Earth, most farmers today are growing only species of plants and farming only species of animals that are easy to produce in large numbers. Meanwhile, thousands of other species are becoming extinct. For example, in the Philippines, there were once thousands of varieties of rice; now fewer than 100 are grown there. In China, 90 percent of the wheat varieties grown just a century ago have disappeared. Experts believe that over the past century, we have allowed more than half of the world's food varieties to disappear.
One solution to this problem is to collect and preserve the seeds of as many different plant varieties as we can before they disappear. The idea was first suggested by Russian scientist Nikolay Vavilov. In the 1920s and 1930s, he collected around 400,000 seeds from five continents. More recently, others have continued the work he began. There are now around 1,700 seed banks in countries around the world. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault- which preserves almost one million seed samples – has one of the largest collections.
In the U.S. state of Iowa, Diane Ott Whealy and her husband founded Heritage Farm – a place where people can store and trade seeds. Initially, Ott Whealy wanted to preserve historic plant varieties, like the seeds her great‐grandfather brought to the U.S. from Germany more than a hundred years ago. But the people at Heritage Farm don't just store the seeds; they plant them. By doing this, they are reintroducing foods into the marketplace that haven't been grown for years. These food species are not just special in terms of appearance or flavor. They also offer farmers food solutions for the future, from the past.
According to paragraph 1, why does the writer mention Ireland?
A. To give an example of why it is dangerous to depend on a single crop species.
B. To explain how worldwide interest in crop varieties first developed.
C. To describe how Irish researchers are searching for a new crop variety.
D. To illustrate how important it is to preserve potato plants.