Nibbles: FAOSTAT, Drought, Seeds, Helianthus, Coffee trade, CePaCT, Figs, Old rice and new pigeonpea, Navajo tea, Cattle diversity, Diabetes, Art, Aurochs, Cocks

FAO sets data free. About time.
Presentation on drought risk and preparedness around the world. Nice maps.
A Facebook for seeds?
The diversity of Jerusalem artichoke. In France.
Coffee certification 101.
Nice plug for SPC’s Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees.
The fig of choice in San Francisco.
Back to traditional rice varieties in India. But forward to new pigeonpea varieties in Malawi. Go figure.
Navajo tea. Would love to try it.
“The mixed (east-west) affiliation of Mongolian cattle parallels the mixed affiliation of Mongolians themselves.”
Lancet article mentions Lois Englberger and her Go Local work in the Pacific in context of diabetes epidemic in Asia-Pacific.
Edible art.
More on bringing back the aurochs. Does anyone really want one, though?
Great variety of rare and exotic poultry breeds. Temptation to pun smuttily averted, mostly.

Big IUCN report says that biodiversity and agriculture are in conflict, they don’t really need to be, but it’s really complicated for them not to be. So that’s us all told.
If only annual crops were perennial, for example, eh?
If only we incorporated more sustainable agriculture in education, for example, eh? Apart from anything else we could still have beer. No word on the role of perennial barley though.
If only improved seeds were open source, for example, eh?
If only we could cryopreserve coral, for example, eh? Wait, what?