Climate change

August 18, 2014

Standing up for fruits and veggies

The International Horticulture Congress is up and running in Brisbane, and getting a lot of attention from the Aussie media. ¹ There’s a slick video on the global importance of horticulture to help the frenzy along:

Apart from the World Vegetable Center — whose DG came up with the quote of the day: “Things like cucumber and cabbage are essentially just water standing up” — ProMusa is also there in force, and making a splash on social media. That’s because of a special symposium on banana genomics, one of a great lineup of side-workshops. The one we’re particularly looking forward to is the 4th International Symposium on Plant Genetic Resources: Genetic Resources for Climate Change. The hashtag for the whole thing is #IHC2014.

No word on whether the black sapote or medicinal willows, both in the news this week, will feature at any point in Brisbane, but, if they don’t, they have a second chance at the next big global research shindig, the International Union of Forest Research Organization’s (IUFRO) 24th World Congress, from 5 to 11 October 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Its theme will be “Sustaining Forests, Sustaining People: The Role of Research.”

As ever, we welcome reports from such events.

August 8, 2014August 7, 2014

Nibbles: Restoring forests, Sampling strategies, Breadfruit history, Wheat & CC, Pacific fisheries, Sustainable food experts, CG talkfest, Irish & potatoes, Diet costs, ITPGRFA projects, Poaching & medicine, Coca alternatives, Ethiopian agroforestry, Mutation breeding, Gaza greens

Genetic considerations in ecosystem restoration using native tree species. No excuse for getting it wrong now.
“Careful tailoring of seed collections to specific species and situations critical to preserving plant diversity.” No excuse for getting it wrong now.
Breadfruit makes The Paris Review.
Got any ideas on protecting wheat from heat and drought?
Where will Pacific Islanders get their protein from if all the fish go?
International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems set up. Rejoice. Maybe they’ll be invited to the CGIAR’s Development Dialogues.
The Irish know a thing or two about sustainable food systems.
Yeah but how much does a decent diet cost anyway?
An overview of the Seed Treaty’s projects on climate change adaptation.
Poaching in Kenya driven by demand for dodgy traditional medicine? And finding an alternative for Peru’s traditional medicine of choice.
What has agroforestry ever done for us?
You say conventional I say mutation.
The leafy greens of Gaza.

July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

Nibbles: Coconut disease, Maize hybrid history, Measuring nutrition, Pollan on biodiversity & health, Ugandan staples, Shamba Shapeup, Ethiopian wine, South African diversification, Damn dumplings, Disease curation, Quinoa curation, Mango treat, Indian mangoes

Lethal Yellowing doing for coconuts — and livelihoods — in Mozambique. And typhoons in the Philippines.
Potted history of maize hybrids from 1998.
Unusual rice and tomato species sequenced.
The challenges of measuring the impact of nutrition interventions.
Old interview with Michael Pollan on biodiversity and health resurfaces, maybe to coincide with the above.
What will be the nutrition impact of replacing matooke with cassava, I wonder? Maybe if it was yellow cassava it would be ok?
Maybe Shamba Shapeup will tell us.
Well, there’s always wine. Even in Ethiopia.
Or insects. Or roiboos. If you’re in South Africa.
Chinese dumplings responsible for climate change.
New Scoop.it page on downy mildews.
And new Flipboard section on quinoa. And something to add to it.
Eid Mubarak! Celebrate with mango kunafa.
But which variety?

July 27, 2014July 25, 2014

Nibbles: Pig genes, Eating pork, Mesoamerican crops, Apple family farming, Global food security, Wild food in Europe, Student crop videos, Important plants, Teff, Finger millet, Pacific NW grains, African veggies, Genius mangoes

Asian genes in European pigs are a good thing.
How about American pigs though?
Great Spanish language cacao infographic. And more along the same lines.
Innovative apple family farming in the Tyrol.
Not sure that will be much use in terms of global food security, as per this recent review, but you never know. Because, you know, climate change?
Well, there’s always wild food. Though in some places more than others.
Student videos on the origin of food plants.
But did any of them change their lives?
Oxfam thinks teff can change lives.
Different part of same continent, different grain to revitalize.
Different continent, different grains to revitalize.
Bah, who needs cereals when you have indigenous vegetables?
Wait, what? Seedless mangoes? Why is this not first-page news?

July 3, 2014July 4, 2014

Nibbles: Tree drought tolerance, Whisky history, Barley drought tolerance, Old veggies, Old potatoes, Llamas vs goats, Sustainable ag, Chinese herbaria

Drought tolerance? It’s the carbs.
Whisky 101.
Coincidental mashup of the above. Barley used in whisky production provides clue to drought tolerance.
Pre-hispanic veggies.
Pre-hispanic carbs.
Pre-hispanic livestock.
Sustainable agriculture deconstructed.
GBIF scores Chinese specimens.