Don’t forget to check out IISD for highlights of the “High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy.” So you can find out what’s being achieved, besides bringing Rome to a standstill, that is. Jeremy is there, earning his keep, hence his silence. No doubt he’ll blog all about it when the dust settles.
Nibbles: Potato, Cheese, Edible landscapes, Apples, Bees, Cacao, Vegetables
- The Guardian has a leader on the potato. Please let this year end soon. And thanks, Danny.
- Lucy Appleby RIP.
- Inner city farming in the UK.
- Gary Nabhan on where apples came from, and where they’re going. And more. Thanks again, Danny!
- Tracking bees’ response to climate change by satellite.
- Mars thinks cacao biodiversity is important. No news from Earth.
- The “keyhole gardens” of Lesotho.
Talking about Vavilov
The New York Botanical Garden hosted a World Science Festival panel discussion about Nikolai Vavilov on 31 May. The moderator, Carl Zimmer, has a video of a conversation with co-panelist Peter Pringle on his blog. 1 Pringle is the author of The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov.
Later stiil: Check out the comment from Cary Fowler on Svalbard, though.
Nibbles: Oils, Mango, Agro-tourism
- Oils unpacked.
- Indian mango aficionado grafts 300 varieties on a single tree.
- Agro-tourism parks a great hit in Maharashtra.
Cities have no agrobiodiversity, it seems
UNEP and UN-Habitat announced today the publication of “case studies from around the world on cities, ecosystems and biodiversity.” I’ve had a quick look at a number of the summaries of studies on individual cities, including that on Rome, but unfortunately could find little evidence that agricultural biodiversity was even considered. That is a pity. Lots of agriculture goes on in cities, even cities in industrialized countries, in small homegardens and on terraces, in allotments and along roadside verges. 2 The people involved are dedicated and knowledgeable. Often, they grow old, rare varieties and otherwise unusual species. Why not enlist them into the more general biodiversity conservation effort?