Genebanks – Page 500 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

June 1, 2008June 3, 2008

Talking about Vavilov

The New York Botanical Garden hosted a World Science Festival panel discussion about Nikolai Vavilov on 31 May. The moderator, Carl Zimmer, has a video of a conversation with co-panelist Peter Pringle on his blog. ¹ Pringle is the author of The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov.

Later stiil: Check out the comment from Cary Fowler on Svalbard, though.

May 30, 2008May 30, 2008

Nibbles: Oils, Mango, Agro-tourism

Oils unpacked.
Indian mango aficionado grafts 300 varieties on a single tree.
Agro-tourism parks a great hit in Maharashtra.

May 12, 2008May 12, 2008

Nibbles: NUS, Value-added, Values, Genebank, IPR

New Agriculturist focuses on neglected species.
Chocolate, wine… Fellow could have himself a pretty good weekend in Vegas with that lot.
Irish evaluate biodiversity, apparently ignore agriculture.
Sasa schemes to save Scottish landraces.
The Indian Seed and Patent Acts dissected.

May 8, 2008May 9, 2008

Nibbles: Ancient grains, ex situ, onions, organic, marine resources

Lots of new products feature ancient grains; King Tut unavailable for comment.
How genebanks work. Both Jeremy and Luigi available for comment and editing services.
Crackdown on onion smuggling.
Alleged myths about organic farming.
First Americans ate seaweed.

May 6, 2008May 6, 2008

Nibbles: Insects, EMBRAPA, Prices, Cuba, Supermarkets

Climate change threatens tropical insects and their pollination services.
Brazil rises in world genebank rankings.
Food price crisis advice summarized.
Cuba “sustainable” agriculture at crossroads.
Supermarkets bad for small farmers?

1. Kurdistan inaugurates a new genebank in Sulaymaniyah, which Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani calls one of Kurdistan and Iraq’s most important national projects.
2. Ghana complements its national collection at Bunso. The new facility further north will improve drying, processing and conservation, while giving northern farmers and breeders closer access to crop diversity.
3. Three decades of African bean research partnerships and networking have helped turn a staple crop into a vehicle for improved nutrition, livelihoods and climate resilience.
4. In the Philippines, eight promising purple-yam accessions combine yield, sensory quality and market appeal, with Villasis 2 producing up to 60 tonnes per hectare in trials. Does it need a network next?
5. However, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange Mike Bollinger’s call in Food Tank’s to carry seed diversity forward extends stewardship beyond formal institutions: Indigenous communities, farmers, gardeners and seed libraries all have a role in keeping crop diversity alive and used.
Published on August 27, 2026