Giving mangoes as gifts is part of traditional reconciliation in Pakistan. Which varieties work best, I wonder?
Tea in Taiwan
Bamboo charcoal oolong tea? I wanna try it.
Pacific foods data tables
Hyperactive nutritionist and dear friend Lois Englberger in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia tells me that the Community Food Data Tables of their Pohnpei case study have now been posted on the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE) website. Pohnpei was one of the twelve case studies in the global health and indigenous foods project led by CINE’s Prof. Harriet Kuhnlein. There’s background information and the main findings of the Pohnpei study based in Mand, a list of the research team members, as well as photos of Karat (banana), Meikole (seeded breadfruit variety), Simihden (well-liked giant swamp taro variety), pandanus and fish liver. Yummie.
Basmati rice on the rise
India’s Financial Express has a piece describing some of the recent history of Basmati rice. I guess it’s a fairly familiar story, but a couple of things stood out for me as I read it. One was that India and Pakistan “are planning to jointly claim rights for geographical indications (GIs) for this aromatic long grain rice.” Another was that the “European Union … is in favour of duty derogation for import of Basmati having pure parental lines.” So not landraces, just newly bred Basmati varieties? Finally, I found the link between Basmati and organic agriculture intriguing.
Ugandan farmers call home
VOA News has a great article (and some audio as well) describing how a Dutch NGO is helping Ugandan farmers exchange agricultural information using mobile phones. If any of the farmers involved has a problem with their cassava, say, or wants to take up a new crop or variety, or get the best price for their honey, the information they need is often just a phone call or sms away. Farmers have great traditional systems for sharing information, but they are often overlooked or at any rate undervalued by development workers. This approach would seem to be a great way of valuing, strengthening and allowing farmers to build on those systems.