Indigenous knowledge systems

January 8, 2009January 8, 2009

Taro in the Indo-Pacific

The 19th Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association is going to take place 29 Nov.-5 Dec. 2009 at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Conference Centre, Hanoi, Vietnam. One of the suggested sessions is on taro:

Wet Cultivation of Colocasia esculenta in the Indo-Pacific: Archaeological, Technological, Social, and Biological Perspectives.

David Addison (American Samoa Community College) and Matthew Spriggs (Australian National University)
add1ison(at)gmail.com; matthew.spriggs(at)anu.edu.au

Wet cultivation of taro (Colocasia esculenta) is among the most productive traditional agricultural techniques in the world, rivaled only by the homologous systems based on rice (Oryza sativa). Some of the largest stone constructions in the Pacific relate to wet taro cultivation. Research on wet taro in Oceania has focused on: the role of agricultural intensification in development of political and social complexity; aggression and territoriality; risk management; and initial island colonization. This session seeks to bring together researchers from across the Indo-Pacific region to discuss the wet cultivation of Colocasia esculenta from diverse perspectives. Participants will be asked to have papers ready for posting to a website by 1 October 2009. This will give everyone a chance to read each other’s ideas in detail. The IPPA session will then consist of short presentations and ample time for discussion. Selected participants will be asked to revise their papers immediately after the conference for publication in an edited volume scheduled for early 2010.

Thanks to Lois Englberger for the tip.

January 7, 2009January 7, 2009

Eating Fluffy

Check out this longish meditation on Peru’s main source of protein. Recipe included. Delicious!

And while we’re on the subject of protein on the hoof, as it were, the BBC has a great series of photos of the season of cattle crossings along the River Niger in Mali.

December 17, 2008December 17, 2008

Appropedia

I don’t think much of the name — a portmanteau of appropriate and cyclopedia (which these days connotes wikification) — but the concept of a web site devoted to “Sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives” is appealing for sure. I have not yet had much time to explore, but there is a whole area on Food/Agriculture with some interesting pages. The one on Seed Fairs, for example, is full of useful advice.

Like all such sites, the value of Appropedia will grow with the number of contributors and will depend on those contributors’ diligence. I feel sure that some agrobiodiversity readers would find it useful, and that it would find your contributions welcome.

Via.

December 9, 2008December 9, 2008

Nibbles: Early diet, Rice, Veggies, Barley, Research, Taiwan, Coffee trade

Early Peruvians didn’t brush their teeth. On the plus side, they had a tasty, varied diet.
Mangrove rice farming in West Africa: The Book.
“Could it be that vegetables are the new meat?“
Wild relative rescues barleys threatened by Russian pests.
Gates supports McKnight supports poor farmers.
Vavilov does Formosa.
Ethiopian Commodity Exchange gets to grips with coffee. Starbucks unavailable for comment.

December 5, 2008December 5, 2008

Do the right thing

Dan Barber waxes lyrical about foie gras. Not, you might think, the most agrobiodiversity-laden topic in the world. And entirely inappropriate given that a billion people don’t have enough to eat. Hear him out, though, and then decide whether what he says makes sense.