Funding

October 13, 2012October 12, 2012

The hues of the opal, the light of the diamond, are not to be seen if the eye is too near

There’s quite a lot of metaphor coming out of ICRISAT lately, for some reason. First we had Genes of Gold, referring to the use that the centre has made of the biodiversity within its crops in developing new, improved varieties. Then today we have a video on the Jewels of ICRISAT, which includes a couple of the aforementioned new varieties, plus the genebank itself.

The genebanks of the CGIAR, of which ICRISAT is one, have of course on occasion been described as the crown jewels of the system. They cost $21 million a year or thereabouts. Which seems cheap for crown jewels. Especially compared to the sort of price tag people are putting on saving the whole of biodiversity, rather than just that part of it which feeds us all.

October 10, 2012December 4, 2017

Nibbles: GRISP, Wheat for Africa, African ag, Future genebanks, GCARD, Zoonoses, Urban ag, Goat feed, ICRISAT breeding, Old corn & apples, Millets, Chocolate, Medlars, Yam beans, Black Sigatoka, CBD and ITPGRFA, Fish policy, Dog miscegenation

Global rice and wheat in Africa tweetfests going on. And speaking of Africa, IFPRI has a big report.
Speaking of rice, read about how our friends at IRRI are rethinking the genebank.
Speaking of tweetfests, GCARD promises to be one too. More than a conference!
From ILRI, who will no doubt be at GCARD, the downside of urban farming. And more doom and gloom.
Speaking of urban agriculture, RAFI has a big report. (Oh, and agriculture is not the only thing that can be peri-urban.)
Speaking of ILRI, this time in better mood, they’re feeding improved sweetpotato and cassava varieties to improved goat breeds.
Speaking of improved varieties, ICRISAT has them too, of millets and the like. And they came from the genebank. And they were made by breeders, who have a newsletter, did you know? This is coming up because of the CBD meeting in Hyderabad, on which more later…
Speaking of genebanks (the USDA ones in this case), it’s not only breeders who use them. (And speaking of USDA genebanks, here’s a story about the apple one.)
And speaking of millets, they’re magic!
Speaking of magic, that’s the only word for chocolate, isn’t it?
Speaking of painting yourself into a corner, do yam beans go with chocolate? No? Well, maybe medlars do.
Speaking of fruits (good catch!), Ecuadorians find disease resistance gene in Indian banana. Or at least banana named after Indian city.
And that, I suppose, is why you need multiple ABS regimes, despite the confusion that may cause in Hyderabad and elsewhere.
Speaking of ABS, interesting how that doesn’t really figure in fish policy discussions.
And finally, a propos of nothing in particular, news of an unusual wolf-dog hybrid.

October 5, 2012October 5, 2012

Nibbles: Meta-blogging, NUS scholarships, Insects & plant diversity, Commons, Trees and diet, Thyme, ABS

Why they blog. At the Agriculture and Ecosystems Blog Agriculture and Ecosystems Blog that is. Can’t help thinking that the media should perhaps be alerted.
Scholarships available at the Crops for the Future Research Centre.
Yes, ok EurekAlert!, we get it , insects are really important to plant diversity.
Yes, ok policy wonks, we get it, it’s really useful to see plant genetic resources as global commons.
More tree cover means more diverse diet in Africa.
Thyme, gentlemen, please.
FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Ad Hoc Technical Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture debates, well, access and benefit-sharing for genetic resources for food and agriculture. In Svalbard, of all places.

October 3, 2012

Nibbles: Ames genebank, G20 meet, European bison, Genomics training, Old words, Roadside Salvia

Yet another USDA genebank in the news. This time it’s maize.
G20 Agriculture vice-ministers recommend to “Support the development and promotion of a global information sharing system on plant and animal genetic resources.”
Bison returns to Germany.
Learn population genomics of crops and livestock.
Ebony is a pretty old word.
How Salvia got around.

September 19, 2012September 19, 2012

Nibbles: Yams, Wild relatives, Plant breeding, Bamboo, Funding, Leaves, Red rice, Rice breeder, Governance and poverty

Yams heading for trouble. What to do?
Learn something from wild relatives, like they’re doing with tomatoes?
Go for a totally new plant breeding paradigm?
I know, let’s all go out and celebrate World Bamboo Day!
Switzerland gives Laos US$6.3m in support of government’s agrobiodiversity initiative.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation gives Growing Power US$5m in support of Growing Power’s urban agriculture efforts.
National Geographic gives leaves a good going-over without mentioning agriculture.
Farmers in Kerala give Navara red rice as a reason for good health and prosperity.
World gives Monty Jones, rice breeder, high status.
Paul Collier fan gives African governance the blame for low agricultural productivity.