Want to know what’s going on in Ethiopia in plant genetic resources conservation and use? Your cup is about to runneth over.
Nibbles: Early diet, Rice, Veggies, Barley, Research, Taiwan, Coffee trade
- Early Peruvians didn’t brush their teeth. On the plus side, they had a tasty, varied diet.
- Mangrove rice farming in West Africa: The Book.
- “Could it be that vegetables are the new meat?“
- Wild relative rescues barleys threatened by Russian pests.
- Gates supports McKnight supports poor farmers.
- Vavilov does Formosa.
- Ethiopian Commodity Exchange gets to grips with coffee. Starbucks unavailable for comment.
High food prices and PLWHA
You’ll remember that I recently bewailed the lack of studies documenting and promoting the use of agrobiodiversity in coping with HIV. But Peace Nganwa, an intern at the African Centre for Food Security, University of KwaZulu-Natal, must have access to some relevant data on this because she suggests that recent food price increases have resulted in reduced dietary diversity, among other things:
In the face of these price hikes, households and communities have to adopt coping strategies to enable them to survive. Some of these coping strategies include: change in diet such as reduced food intake, lower food quality and reduced dietary diversity; seeking wage employment; temporary or in the worst case permanent migration; sale of productive and non-productive assets; and withdrawal of children from school.
In a very cogent article at AllAfrica.com she describes why good nutrition is particularly important to those living with HIV.
Firstly the infection-illness period, which on average is about eight years, can be extended by a good diet, among other things. People infected by the virus have up to 50 per cent more energy requirements (100 per cent for children) than people who are not infected. Secondly good nutrition both in quality and quantity is vital in the prevention of opportunistic infections which occur because of reduced body immunity. A sound diet may therefore prolong life; more especially delay the progression of HIV to AIDS. Thirdly adequate nutrition is of utmost importance to the patients on anti-retroviral therapy. Some drugs must be taken with food and most are not effective if the patients are malnourished.
I just don’t get why there seem to be so few studies and interventions out there trying to help PLWHA by promoting diverse crops for diverse diets, especially in urban settings. Tell me I’m wrong. Please.
Nibbles: String, Lake District, Apples, Biochar, Display, Firs, Sweet potato, Rice, Bison
- Lots of agrobiodiversity in one little piece of Neolithic string.
- Traditional cow breed saves plant saves rare moth. The elusive agrobiodiversity win-win-win?
- Centenarian arboreal agrobiodiversity artfully pruned.
- Burning agrobiodiversity. But in a good way. And for a good cause.
- Plant parts create Yuletide fantasy.
- Speaking of Yuletide, Christmas trees need diversity too. And Michigan State is there.
- Sure, it’s impressive, but is it a potato?
- Farming on the edge … of a large reservoir. Life has its ups and downs.
- Aristotle on bison faeces. Yes, that Aristotle.
Australia’s forage genebanks to be mothballed?
The Seed Hunter now has a blog, and is using it to expose the “national scandal” of Australia’s disappearing forages collections. Read it and weep. Welcome to the blogosphere, Ken.