- Evidence of extrogression from dogs. That would be the opposite of introgression, and there are apparently lots of examples from mammals.
- “Conservation agriculture is an essential element of … intensification.†Oh please.
- Simon Maxwell, director of the Overseas Development Institute, on the Millennium Villages etc. Lukewarm, I’d say.
- Louise Fresco makes bread at TED. Fiat Panis, eh?
- India to manage abiotic stresses. I’ve got a few of those I’d like to manage a bit better.
- Arab nations discuss differences of opinion on sustainability. Someone tell me the bottom line.
New Scientist bottles it
I have a lot of respect for the New Scientist. I really do. I kind of grew up with it. But I don’t think it handled the Great Seed Bank Confusion very well. Let me remind you. Last week a blog post went up at Short Sharp Science confusing the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which is demonstrably not at Kew. Here’s a screen grab of that original post (click to enlarge):
That was bad enough, as both places have been in the news a lot lately, and it elicited the predictable flood of comments 1 — some unpardonably rude, it must be admitted 2 — setting the blogger right. But it was nearly a week before the post was corrected, thusly:
And, rather than being up-front, the apology for the mistake, and the notice that a correction has been made, is buried in the 18th comment.
Journalists often bitch and moan about bloggers not being sufficiently professional about checking sources etc etc. I think New Scientist was unprofessional in making the original mistake — but hey, that happens — but also, and unforgivably, in not owning up to it quickly and visibly enough. Anyway, at least now everyone knows the difference between Kew and Svalbard.
Recreational farming
An interesting triptych today on farming as recreation. Kind of, anyway. From Vietnam, an unfortunately rather brief article on how foreign tourists can become farmers for a day at Tra Que village. The piece doesn’t say whether that’s the same Tra Que which is being protected by trademark, but I would guess so. 3
There was also today an article about the Konso of Ethiopia, who are apparently sometimes referred to as “the toughest farmers in Africa.” A so-called eco-lodge has been set up, “whose mission is to tie tourism and community development activism through permaculture together, delivering tangible community benefits.” Again, as in Vietnam, the idea is community immersion, though for longer than just a day, and in rather more difficult circumstance, I expect.
And finally, to the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut. Actually it’s a bit of a cheek including this with the previous two stories. The people attending the Centre, and others like it, are in earnest about learning to farm in a way that follows the Law: “One-sixth of the Talmud deals with agriculture.†Some, indeed, will take farming up as a profession. But not all: “We don’t all need to be farmers. To have farming be a little part of every Jewish person’s life, that’s our goal.â€
Nibbles: Aquaculture, Geographical indications, Arable, Beetlejuice
- First Nation takes Canada to court over its salmon stocks. Lawyers exult.
- “Radicchio di Verona”, “Zafferano di Sardegna,” “Aceite de La Alcarria” and “Huîtres Marennes Oléron” protected. Lawyers exult.
- Germans to set aside 100 fields to conserve Caucalido-Adonidetum flammeae and the like. That’s arable weeds to me and you. Nobody exults. Oh come on, some of them might be crop wild relatives!
- Beetle threatens Florida avocado orchards with deadly fungus. Mexico exults?
Nibbles: Kenya vegetables, Diet diversity, Armyworms
- Slumdog Veggiegrower. Via.
- Australians contend diets need to be diverse. Another shrimp placed on barbie.
- Great summary of the Liberian “armyworm” situation from CABI. And they say taxonomy is boring.