Genetic erosion

Nibbles: Small farmers, Wild bananas, Titan arum, Fish for diversity, Tenure, Treaty, Australian genebank, Mexican genebank, Mexican drought, Potato record, Khat and fodder in Ethiopia

On my signal, unleash the potential of small farmers and food producers worldwide. Has a return ring to it.
More than anyone could reasonably want to know about wild banana relatives in Thailand.
Big stinky flower with its own webcam. Must be a wild relative of something.
Better in many ways to catch a diversity of fish species than to focus on one.
Could probably do with some guidelines for access to fisheries, though, right?
International Seed Treaty secretariat knocks ‘em dead down under. “THREE-quarters of the world’s crop biodiversity has been irrevocably lost since 1900.”
Of course it has. Did Dr Bhatti visit this place during his tour of Oz, I wonder? If not, maybe he’ll visit Mexico next and see this place. And speaking of Mexico…
Mexico sneezes, US grain exports catch a cold?
World record potato harvest in Bihar; there’s a lot that’s fishy about this story.
“Khat cultivation in Ethiopia fuels economy, reduces deforestation.” And makes people sick, but who’s counting.
Ah but here’s a possible alternative. Now, if only CIFOR and ILRI would talk together about this.

What words should we use? “[B]est management practices” or “more casual words like local, family-owned and farmer”.
Words like “farming”. How to make a living “farming” without leaving your armchair. Via.
Hungry work, that. If only I had a slice of acorn-finished pork to finish.
Someone else who would like that: where in the world is Luigi Guarino? Wherever “it is imperative that genetic diversity is maintained for posterity.”

A drug company is almost ready to go with a pain reliever from the Peruvian rainforest, based on Acmella oleracea, “also known as toothache plant”. Clues, wherever you look.
Why biodiverse beehives do better. It’s partly down to biodiverse bacteria.
Producing blood oranges anywhere. I’ll enjoy my Sicilian ones more, now I know why only some are bloody.
A hymn to the diversity of fermented milk products.
Interview with Melaku Worede of Ethiopia; “we are still losing diversity at an alarming rate”.
Rajiv Shah, administrator of USAID, explains what it is all about.

GRAIN found and shared a 1986 Canadian documentary that includes interviews with Erna Bennett.
“Critical minds and ‘vegetal life’.” Plants and philosophy. Wacky, yes. But perhaps of interest.
Are you near Port Townsend, WA? Go hear a lecture on “Farming with Nature: Agroecology for the Olympic Peninsula” on Monday at 7.30.
While the EU potentially gives diversity a break, the US judge rejects organic suit against Monsanto.
Open sesame (yeah, I know). Oxfam documents how best to use sesame to lift Ethiopians out of poverty.
Nominate someone who has “made outstanding contributions for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity at global, regional or local levels” for the Midori Prize. We’re available.
The Atlantic and NPR do the Svalbard thing. Gotta hand it to the Trust.

NERICA shmerica.
Did you know that the Society for Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia and Oceania (SABRAO) 12th Congress from 13-16 January 2012 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. No, neither did I.
Whither wild wheat?
Koraput and its agrobiodiversity, including aus rice, makes it on the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).
GBIF has many duplicates. I’m shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
Amazonia was densely populated. No it wasn’t. Yes it was. No it wasn’t.