Would you like to know where the CGIAR has agrobiodiversity projects in Africa? Ok, then, check out the new beta of the Ongoing Research website. The map on the website, unlike the screenshot below, is interactive. Via.
Positively the last word on the Amman conference
It comes from our friends at CIAT, and points to the final version of the Amman Declaration on another CGIAR climate change blog. Yes, crop wild relatives are in there!
Nibbles: Artichoke, Barley, Aquaculture, Organic farms, Pig conservation, Involuntary parks, Chokeberries, Grass evolution, sustainability
- Jeremy says: Put an artichoke in your tank!
- American boffins say: I know what, instead of making beer with it, let’s feed barley to fish.
- Ugandan fishermen say: Want a “boutique” fish?
- USDA says: “The nation’s organic farms and ranches have higher average sales and higher average production expenses than U.S. farms overall…”
- South African animal genetic resources experts say: Save our pigs!
- The Economist says (we paraphrase) war is good for biodiversity conservation … but where are the wild relatives?
- Right here, in the boreal north, and we need to conserve it, and the knowledge to use it, say Canadian conservationists.
- Rainfall, not temperature, was the trigger for C4 grasses say other American boffins.
- “It’s a sloppy use of language to equate vegetables and food,” says Rachel. We agree.
The challenge of keeping up with information on the challenge of improving nutrition
SciDev has a blitz on The Challenge of Improving Nutrition. It looks like it might repay closer scrutiny.
Nibbles: Sequencing, Agricultural origins, Mating systems, Tomato shelf-life, Beer vs Tea, Soy, Carrot, Seed processing, Screw-pine, Yams, Salicornia, Pollinators
- Second generation sequencing on the one hand. First generation methylation mapping on the other. What’s a poor bitechnologist to do?
- Site of the birth of MesoAmerican agriculture pinpointed.
- Meta-analysis says mating system does not affect magnitude of local adaptation. Ok, I really need to understand this one, because it’s kinda counter-intuitive..
- Boffins produce longer-lasting tomato. Which, however, still tastes like water. Those pesky biotechnologists are all over this.
- A tale of two brews. And here’s why I prefer beer. Well, one reason. Meanwhile, a hero probes how the amber nectar comes to be.
- Another slightly dubious use for soy. Aren’t you glad its genome has been sequenced? Thanks, Jacob.
- Evidence for cultivated carrot from medieval Poland. I’m sure this is REALLY important.
- CIMMYT video of seed processing.
- Pandanus photo for all my Pacific friends.
- Yams to have their day? I hope so, but we have been here before. Repeatedly.
- Salicornia the new hope for saline regions? I hope so, but we have been here before. Repeatedly.
- FAO manages wild biodiversity to manage pollinators.