Rice, China and climate change

The map shows rice yield in China by county for 1996 ¹. The pattern it shows has changed significantly in the past 20 years, and will probably change more in the next 20. Climate change will drive that to some extent, of course. But not just climate change. Robert Hijmans, a geographer at IRRI, has a nice feature in Rice Today discussing the “relocation of rice production in China.”

Remember Jeremy has an omnibus post about Chinese agrobiodiversity.

Thanks to Robert Hijmans, IRRI.

Fresh Nibbles

Haga Hideo’s 1950s photos of Fukushima farming rituals are now being used to revive them: ex situ conservation, but for culture.
Long before photography, or “pre‑breeding” was a buzzword, Belgian pomologist Jean‑Baptiste Van Mons was running massive pear selection trials and gifting us Beurré Bosc and Doyenné Boussock.
As Southern Africa’s miombo woodlands shrinks, scientists are cloning wild trees so the fruit — and food security — outlive the forest. Now for the pre-breeding.
Greenpeace Africa’s Seed Project makes the case for indigenous seeds as a route to farmer independence. And you can help.
And oh so coincidentally, a network of community seed banks in Kenya is rescuing indigenous seeds so the diversity is still around when opportunity (or crisis) knocks.
Also in Kenya, the national genebank’s collectors are racing to secure opportunity crops.
Nepal’s indigenous crops and landraces are at the same time more needed than ever, and under threat. So, much like in Kenya.
The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT says women are at the center of sustainable food systems; the fine print adds: “as they have always been.”

Published on September 30, 2026

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