Adopt a banana variety at the Philippines genebank.
Arctic seed monkeys in publicity storm
Some people have all the fun. Reporter Louise Roug, of the Los Angeles Times, has clearly had a blast writing a major feature on the Global Crop Diversity Trust’s “doomsday vault” on Svalbard, above the Arctic Circle. She has it all: glaciers and frozen wilderness; airlocks, steel-reinforced doors and a video-monitoring system; more aggressive farming methods, environmental degradation and changing weather patterns; quotes from senior science coordinators with the Trust.
She also, this being modern journalism, has contrary opinions. To provide balance. So the director of one NGO is reported as saying that the Arctic seed vault “tends to divert attention, energy and money away from what we consider as much more urgent and sustainable efforts to save biodiversity on the farm”.
Novelty crops
The October issue of USDA’s Agricultural Research Magazine has a number of pieces on “novelty crops,” which just seems to mean non-staples, although some of them are what is often referred to as neglected or underused species. Among the articles there’s one on how the National Plant Germplasm System is conserving the genetic diversity of these species.
Indian fruit genebank threatened by democracy
NB: Update here.
We interrupt this blog for a public service announcement. The Indian Express is reporting a proposal by the government of Jharkand State in northeast India to bulldoze the field genebanks of the Horticulture and Agro Forestry Research Programme. More than 20 years of work and thousands of fruit varieties are set to be destroyed in order to create bungalows for Members of Parliament.
What to do? This makes the UK’s attempts to dump its apple and pear collection look positively suave. We’ve alerted people who might have some influence. But seriously, what else can be done? Is anyone in Jharkand taking this up? How about the rest of India? We’re rank amateurs at activism. Advise us.
We wouldn’t normally repost an entire item, but this is important enough that we’re making an exception. So here goes.
Continue reading “Indian fruit genebank threatened by democracy”