Great Place of Complete Joy, and landraces

The Gandantegchinlen (meaning Great Place of Complete Joy) Monastery in Ulaan Baatar features a 25 metre tall statue called Migjid Janraisig, “the Lord who looks in every direction.” The original was built in the early 20th century in an effort to restore the sight of Bogd Javzandamba, the eighth Jebtsundamba, spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia. The statue was dismantled and taken away by the Soviets in 1938, but it was rebuilt in 1996 with donations from the Mongolian people. The statue is gilded solid copper. Well, almost solid. Precious cultural materials are encased within it. Including seeds of dozens of the country’s wheat landraces, according to my friends at the national genebank in Darkhan.

Nibbles: FAOSTAT, Drought, Seeds, Helianthus, Coffee trade, CePaCT, Figs, Old rice and new pigeonpea, Navajo tea, Cattle diversity, Diabetes, Art, Aurochs, Cocks

Inside Abu Ghraib

We’ve been keeping more than a brief eye on the blog of The Iraqi Seed Project but things have been a little quiet. Not surprising, really; they have better things to do than post their field notes to the internet. Today, though, a wonderful surprise. The filmmakers got to the Iraqi National Genebank at Abu Ghraib and, better yet, got to meet Mrs Sanaa Abdul Wahab. She’s the woman who saved some of the Iraqi accessions during the 2003 invasion. It was our report of her bravery that partly prompted The Iraqi Seed Project to seek her out, so we’re really glad they found her. And their report of progress at Abu Ghraib — complete with great pictures — is mostly reassuring. Sure, they need equipment and infrastructure, but the resources are there and in good hands.

Aren’t the interwebs wonderful?