- Locavore carnivores learn their chops.
- Researchers from Michigan to study drought in East Africa.
- Researchers from Michigan to improve African access to research.
- Get online to save the Amazon.
- “When the National Animal Germplasm Program (NAGP) opened its doors a decade ago, it started out with genetic material from 40 lines of chicken…”
- And today’s genome sequencing project is…
- Hunting wapato.
- Mexican agriculture comes to LA.
- Today’s answer to climate change is…
Nibbles: Conferences, Banana satire, Green rice, Fairchild, Slippery cabbage
- Advance notice of the IAALD 13th World Congress in Montpellier, France. Sounds like a blast.
- Likewise for the Society for Economic Botany’s annual bash.
- “Rabid banana consumption in the last 100 years has led to a precipitous increase in natural disasters.” Satire.
- I’ve heard of green wheat to eat, but never green rice.
- Protecting tropical trees from frost at a Florida botanic garden.
- “Collecting germplasm is the first step in helping a nutritious island vegetable set seed.” Indeed it is.
Nibbles: Vavilov on couscous, Molecular studentships, Goat genetics, Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Sweet potato, New Agriculturist, Vietnam and CC, Liberian ag research, Cuisine
- Couscous deconstructed.
- China and Bioversity collaborate on molecular marker training.
- Neolithic legging helps unravel the history of the goat in Europe.
- Dag’s cool Svalbard pix.
- CIP launches Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA).
- The new New Agriculturist does markets.
- Climate change and rice cultivation in the Mekong Delta.
- The perils of agricultural research in Liberia: one trial up in smoke, another stolen. Bummer.
- Ok, I had no idea there was a Tasting Cultures Foundation. Thanks, Facebook.
Nibbles: Goldman Environmental Prize, UK networking, European landraces publication, Seed Warriors, India agrobiodiversity sites, Beer books, Teosinte, Drought foods, Sugarcane genebank, Regional genebank in South Asia, Rhubarb, Annals, Food articles, Cryo
- Goldman Prizewinner Jesús León Santos: “It is time we recognize that traditional agricultural methods can make strong contributions to biodiversity conservation. We should encourage it and value it as a way to produce healthy foods that conserve and care for the environment.” Time indeed.
- British twofer: The Food Climate Research Network aims “to better understand how the food system contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and to research and promote ways of reducing them.” Then there’s the Foresight Project on Global Food and Farming Futures. Will they talk to each other, I wonder.
- From Bioversity, “European landraces: on-farm conservation, management and use.” I wonder if the Foresight Project will download a copy.
- The “Seed Warriors” trailer. Oscar buzz, I hear.
- Agricultural biodiversity heritage sites in India. Ethnobotanist brings together information on food plants used during drought. Mashup, anyone?
- A book about beer. My two favourite things. Oooh, here’s another couple! And it’s not over: Spiegel weighs in on the old chestnut about beer being the reason for agriculture. My tankard runneth over.
- CIMMYT team monitors teosinte. Teosinte planning to fight back.
- Regional sugarcane genebank is actually being used! Heartwarming. Oh, and, coincidentally, here’s a history of Indian sugarcane breeding.
- “A SAARC Plant Genetic Resource Bank for rice, wheat and maize may be created to facilitate free exchange of germplasm between the member countries. To begin with, the Indian Gene Bank facilities may be utilized, with suitable modalities.” Not so heartwarming.
- The Russian roots of Alaskan rhubarb. Take that, Palin! Note the bit about St Isaac’s Cathedral, which of course sits opposite VIR. How apposite is that?
- Nigel Chaffey rounds up the usual suspects in presenting a potpourri of “plant-based items from the world’s media” for Annals of Botany. May well be one to watch. And not just because genebanks make an appearance.
- Amazing food roundup.
- Cryopreserving Chip, the Tennessee fainting goat.
Nibbles: Aquaculture, Pilchards et al. protected, Mongolian nomads, Tropical wine
- FAO on climate change and aquaculture.
- Cornish sardines sigh huge sigh of relief at attaining EU protection.
- “Planned activities include supporting small businesses, improving access to local and regional markets and reintroducing abandoned traditions such as felt-making for clothing and yurts.” Sounds like a barrel of laughs.
- “…patronizing our local fruit wines also means helping small farmers and communities that are collecting the fruits used for making these wines.” Anybody try this?