Month: September 2010

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Medvedev buys Pavlovsk some time?

On 31st of August 2010 Pavlovsk Experiment Station of VIR had an unscheduled inspection. The station was visited by representatives of the Public Chamber, the Accounts Chamber as well as representatives of the Russian Housing Development Foundation. This inspection was a result of instruction given by Dmitry Medvedev for this situation to be scrutinized. After visiting two plots the commission was convinced that, indeed, the disputed plots harbor plants that make a part of the Vavilov collection of plant genetic resources. As a result of field inspection — Nadezhda Shkolkina reports — representatives of the RZhS Fund stated they will postpone an auction for an uncertain period.

Hot off the press. A light at the end of the tunnel? Fingers crossed. But let’s keep up the pressure!

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Rough dwarf threatens maize

New pests and diseases keep popping up to destroy poor farmers. Latest culprit, according to SciDev.net, is rough dwarf maize disease in Africa. Very little is known about the disease, but that hasn’t stopped claims that it “will threaten food security and the livelihoods of millions of people on the continent”. 1

We don’t actually like this never-ending parade of pests and diseases, but it does at least remind us that the best insurance is agricultural biodiversity, as a source of other foods and, ultimately, as a source of resistance.

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Nibbles: School food, India, Orchids, Biocontrol, Breastfeeding, Conch, Africa

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How not to help after a disaster

A major study of agriculture in Haiti after this year’s earthquake has found that much of the emergency seed aid provided after the disaster was not targeted to emergency needs. The report concludes that seed aid, when poorly-designed, could actually harm farmers or depress local markets, therefore hampering recovery from emergencies.

Like the man said, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And where would those who rushed to Haiti’s aid have learned some history? Google? Or just this recent paper.