- Vavilov does radishes.
- “How would you describe the smell and taste of a fresh white truffle?“
- “The gene … is in an identity crisis.”
- “The basic roll-with-a-hole concept is centuries old.”
- “He slid her gently into a nylon sack and hung her from a scale on which she clocked two kilograms, then slid her out and into the V of a varnished plywood measuring board, where she lay quietly, like a metre-long slab of tenderloin.”
- “Activists” buttonhole Obama.
- The Afghan pomegranate to hit supermarket shelves.
Fruit trifecta
Again I nibble, and then belatedly decide — spurred by Jeremy — that the stories deserved better. Yesterday served up three juicy fruit tales from around the world. First, how ancient mulberry trees are being cut down in Iran because of their connection with local superstitions. While, from half a world away, comes the story of how fruit trees planted centuries ago by the guardians of a different superstition are being sought out, documented and preserved. Go figure. And, finally, yet another story about saving the English apple, in the tradition of the East Yorkshire Federation of Women’s Institutes and the Prince of Wales. I don’t know what it is about the English apple, but lately it seems to have been out of the news rarely if at all. Moral outrage, no doubt: Something Must Be Done!
But in fact the fruit salad is not quite finished yet. Because after I had finished gently nibbling the above I came across another succulent morsel, in the shape of an article about Maryland farmers trying to move out of one vice — tobacco — and into another — wine. Actually what interested me most about that story was the support the farmers were receiving from local government:
The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland started a grant program in 2005 that splits the cost of new vines with growers, which was the financial push many needed. This year, the St. Mary’s County Board of Commissioners invested almost half a million dollars in a cooperative winery on the Leonardtown Wharf.
No doubt our neophyte Maryland winemakers would complain stridently if something similar was done in South Africa, say. Or am I being unfair? Maybe, but what would Mexican chili pepper farmers say if the tax incentive for their Arizona brethren were to come through?
The Lost Cities of the Amazon
That’s the cheesy title of what should be a fascinating National Geographic documentary on a subject that we’ve covered here a number of times: the idea that the Amazon was once thickly settled. If anyone sees it, do let us know what it’s like.
Mine’s a decaff
We’re always on the look-out for examples of the financial value of germplasm collections which don’t involve some obscure and faraway disease, however nasty. So it was really nice to come across a great story about the search for naturally low-caffeine coffee, and in the Wall Street Journal no less. Coincidentally, there was also a blog post yesterday about the wild coffees of Madagascar. ((Yes, dear reader, we nibbled both these things yesterday, but I thought, on reflection, that they were worth a bit more than that.)) Some of the many species found on that island are known to have low caffeine levels, but “[a]ttempts to transfer the caffeine-free property from wild coffee species of Madagascar, which produce an inferior beverage, to C. arabica have failed owing to a strong genetic barrier.”
LATER: I wonder if the recent Korean “land-grab” in Madagascar will have an effect on wild coffees and other interesting endemics.
2nd World Congress of Agroforestry 3rd Announcement
This just in.
Theme: Agroforestry – The Future of Global Land Use
The Congress will assess opportunities to leverage scientific agroforestry in promoting sustainable land use worldwide. It will also serve as a forum for agroforestry researchers, educators, practitioners and policy makers from around the world to:
- share new research findings, lessons, experiences, and ideas that will help influence decisions that impact on livelihoods and the global environment
- explore new opportunities and strengthen existing partnerships in agroforestry research, education, training, and development
- form new networks and communities of practice, and nurture old ones