GIS – Page 121 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

February 3, 2010February 2, 2010

Online map of interaction between climate change and population

Population Action has an interactive map which mashes up climate change (including its effect on total national agricultural production) with population dynamics. Here, for example, is the result for Africa. ((Sorry about the quality, I can’t see an easy way of downloading a decent image, but the thing looks well enough on the website itself.))

The source of the agricultural production data is a 2004 crop modeling study by the Godard Institute for Space Studies distributed by CIESIN. ((The BBC’s mashup of climate change, population and industrialization seems to use different data, and goes to sub-country level.)) Worth taking the guided tour to start off.

You can’t imagine how many different versions of this sort of map have been on show here in Amman at the conference on food security in the drylands. Somebody ought to do an inventory…

January 30, 2010July 17, 2016

Mapping European alcoholic diversity

A map over at Strange Maps seems to suggest that the most diverse place in Europe in terms of drinks traditions is the area where Hungary, Romania and Ukraine — and thus the wine, beer and vodka belts — meet. Check it out:

But is it true? Have any of our readers been there? And can they recall anything about the visit?

January 28, 2010January 28, 2010

Nibbles: Globalizing locavorism, Pollinator relations, Fisheries, Pea wild relative, Haitian coffee, Niche modeling, Slow Food, Chayote, Grass vs corn, Shade chocolate, American organic

“…eleven models of regional food aggregation and distribution that are successful in linking local farmers with regional food chains.” Via.
Hell hath no fury like a fig tree scorned.
Tracking monkfish, saving monkfish.
The history of the wild relative of the pea.
Can coffee help rebuild Haiti?
“Integrating bioclimate with population models to improve forecasts of species extinctions under climate change.”
“The commoditization of products and taste: Slow Food and the conservation of agrobiodiversity.”
CIAT promotes chayote in Vietnam. Why? Well, it’s not about the crop or the country. I suppose it’s about farmers and markets. But is there a diversity angle?
How old is feeding corn (maize) to cows? Older than some people think, apparently.
Shade-grown cacao sows seeds of its own demise.
Waiting for the results of the USDA organic survey…

January 27, 2010January 27, 2010

Markets, and getting to them

Fairtrade is all well and good, ((Though just plain and simple trade would be enough for some, I expect.)) but African agriculture needs roads too.

January 19, 2010January 19, 2010

Book on gene flow published

I’ve just received a copy of “Gene Flow Between Crops and Their Wild Relatives” by Meike S. Andersson and M. Carmen de Vicente (Johns Hopkins). This will no doubt become the go-to reference book on the subject. There are chapters on all the major crops, with what look to me like very comprehensive bibliographies on each. Of particular interest are the maps of introgression risk at the end of the book. These will apparently be made available on the Bioversity website in due course. But here’s one (barley) in the meantime to whet your appetite.