Author: Luigi Guarino

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Wheat scientists descend on Sydney

The International Wheat Congress kicks off in Sydney this week, with its stellar lineup of speakers, and social media accoutrements, to remind us that, despite all the talk of gluten intolerance and the like, wheat is a big deal…

…it’s under threat, but CGIAR is on it:

About 70 percent of spring bread and durum wheat varieties released globally over the 20-year period between 1994 and 2014 were bred or are derived from wheat lines developed by [CGIAR]… Benefits of CGIAR wheat improvement research, conducted mainly by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), range from $2.8 billion to $3.8 billion a year…which highlights the economic benefits of international collaboration in wheat improvement research.

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Nibbles: Nepal earthquake, Vavilov visit, Conservation strategies, Insects & markets, Hydrid breeding, Women & agrobiodiversity, Indian minor crops, Wes Jackson, Drought tolerance, Wheat shindig, Industry support

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Brainfood: Cowpea evaluation, Varietal mixtures, Eragrostis core, Nigerian cassava diversity, Turkish alfalfa, Italian wild grapes, Cleome veggie, AnGR history

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Innovating in the Andes

Transferring the Potato Park’s potato collection to the Svalbard International Seed Vault (collaborative innovation). The transfer to the International Seed Vault in Norway, near the North Pole will protect the varieties in the event of a global crisis. While this is seen as a largely symbolic action, the transfer serves also to strengthen the Potato Park’s membership of the FAO Treaty multilateral system, raise international awareness of the growing concerns of Peru’s potato farmers and promote a balanced relationship between in situ and ex situ conservation strategies. ANDES and CIP have supported the application and the production of botanical seeds by the farmers (as opposed to seed potatoes).

Coudn’t have put it better myself. So I’m glad IIED did, together with lots more on other biocultural innovations coming out of the Parque de la Papa.