Commodity

Nibbles: Cacao, Forbes, Gum arabic, Bees, Private sector, Kumquats, Maize, Edible weeds, Herbs, Medicinals, Banana wine, Cachaca. Obamas’ dog

The history of cacao cultivation, breeding and conservation in Trinidad explained.
The latest update from Adam searching for seeds around the world. Go, dude.
“Uganda exports 0.1% of the world’s gum Arabica…” Hardly seems worth it.
Giving bees a hand. It’s hard to be a bee in the city.
An active participation is required from the private sector and non-government organisations to take technological advances in farming and its practices to the grassroots level.”
Kumwhat? Kumquat, that’s what.
Bush sells maize. Maize surrenders.
Let them eat weeds.
But don’t let Thais eat herbs!
Climate change bad for medicinal plants too.
Banana wine in Malawi. Pass the bottle.
How to make cachaca. A couple of friends and I once spent a night looking for the best caipirinhas in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Can’t remember if we found them.
First Dog found.

Sweet potatoes in space. Why?
Oblong grapes. Why?
Mega targets of selection. Why?
Uganda battles cassava and banana diseases.
Increased bamboo production will not, repeat NOT, put the panda at risk.
Mandatory disclosure of source and origin for Genetic Resources (GR) and Traditional Knowledge (TK) unpacked. Well, kinda.
Gates funds cacao, cashew value chain. But not conservation, it seems.

I only ask because on the same day (yesterday), the BBC published a piece entitled “Ivory Coast’s sweet cocoa success” while the Financial Times had “Ivory Coast’s cocoa industry stares hard at a bleak future.” Maybe it’s my gloomy nature, and my plummeting faith in the BBC, but I believe the FT story more.

Here’s an idea that could have legs: chocolate tourism.

LATER: Good thing Ivory Coast is not on that list.