Traditional foods get the upscale treatment in Kenya

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Matoke, spinach (local, or genuine Spinacea oleracea?) and rice (why not sorghum, or millet?) about to be served at a Nairobi restaurant. ((Ignore the tomato; everyone does.)) The photo illustrates an article in the Daily Nation, following up on Agriculture Minister William Ruto’s call for traditional crops to be given a greater role in Kenya’s food security plan. According to the article, Kenya’s farmers, or their representatives, seem to want more and better incentives to turn away from maize. I wonder, though, whether the most far-sighted farmers, and restaurants, won’t show the way by adopting agricultural biodiversity and thus turning a healthy profit, thank you very much.

Nibbles: Climate change, IPR, Urban ag * 2, Lumpers, Fodder, Andes map

Mo’ better modeling

Two papers in the Journal of Biogeography suggest ways of improving ecological niche modeling, by including soil data and by recognizing that the range of a species may not be in “equilibrium with its climatic niche.” May need to blog in more details about these…

Incidentally, modeling species responses to climate change is no longer just an academic exercise, it’s a policy tool:

Brazil has shown the way with extensive modelling, leading to zoning schemes where farmers can obtain cheap credit for planting crops recommended by the models. It is now among the top three exporters for ten global commodities, including coffee.