- “Global agricultural production … on track to satisfy estimated long term demand.” That’s the good news. Food prices to rise by around 40%.
- “Israel plows new ground in exotic crops.” Ho hum.
- US regains global dominance in mint … but at what price?
- Greek walnut trees way out on a limb.
Grain and Cities
The wait is over. Rachel Laudan’s talk at Postopolis is now available in two versions. Rachel herself carries a transcript of her talk, with some photos. And Nicola over at Edible Geography has the same transcript with different photos and a bit more by way of introduction. 1
There is so much content there that I hardly know what to say, except that I am in awe of the research skills and basic understanding of the problem. The basic point is that “without food energy, a city is nothing”. For most people and most of history, that energy came from grains: about a kilo per person per day. And the consequences of that … go read!
Nibbles: Grasscutters, Geographical indicators, GMO bananas, UK farming
- Neleshi Grasscutter and Farmers Association (NAGRAFA). Grasscutters are not members.
- The value of geographical indicators. So, where is that grasscutter from?
- Capsicum genes engineered into banana might protect against Xanthomonas wilt in the future, if safe. No need for management then, which works now.
- Interesting arguments for keeping Britain GM-free: profits and aesthetics of biodiverse agriculture.
Mangoes and lychees save girls’ lives
A heart-warming story from BBC News: in the village of Dharhara in India, parents plant 10 or more fruit trees when a baby girl is born. The trees mature slightly faster than the girls, and by the time a girl is nubile the profits from the sale of fruit is more than enough to pay the bride price commonly required by the groom’s family. Bihar has the highest death rate among families who cannot pay a bride price. But not in Dharhara.
Nibbles: Allium, Desertification and livestock, Striga, Emmer, Hawaii, Almond, Seeds at FAO, Cassava in central Africa, Seed sculpture, Biofortification, Millets, Lunatrick pea
- Botany Photo of the Day is an onion wild relative! Pretty.
- More on that livestock-can-help-reduce-desertification thing, this time from Scientific American.
- Breeding Striga-resistant sorghum. Whatever it takes to protect local beer, boffin-dudes!
- Emmer wheat reviewed to bits.
- No passport data for your barley? Fear not.
- Rachel Laudan ably defends Hawaiian food.
- Origins of almond traced to Iran. Not for the first time.
- Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: A Commons Perspective. Presentation from our friends at FAO.
- Presentation on the untapped potential of cassava in the Great Lakes region of Africa. One of many from CIAT lately. Check out their stuff on beans too.
- The Seed Cathedral of Shanghai. Thanks to those public awareness wizards at Kew.
- Big shindig on biofortification. Be there, or be malnourished.
- Times of India bangs the drum for nutritious millets.
- Yet more loveliness from serious amateur pea breeder Rebsie Fairholm.