Berry go Round, the blog carnival about plants, has emerged from winter with a cracking display of lovely stuff. Rather than fillet out the agrobiodiversity stuff — hazels, lettuce, wild foods — I’ll leave you to explore the links and follow your own instincts.
The next generation takes on agrobiodiversity and global food security
The latest issue of the Prescott College alumni magazine Transitions is devoted to the question “Where does our food come from?” 1 Sure, Gary Nabhan is in there, busily retracing Vavilov’s footsteps. But also our friend and occasional contributor Colin Khoury. And much else besides. Oh, and since we’re talking about Vavilov, he collected in the Pamirs, didn’t he?
The Guardian explains evolution
Interesting to see this video explaining evolution using the domestication and modern breeding of the banana as an example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vss1VKN2rf8&feature=player_embedded#at=353Keeping track of those pesky CRPs
We’ve been keeping an eye on the CGIAR change process, of course. Of course. Particularly as it relates to what they will do about agrobiodiversity, of course. Of course. But it really is not that easy to keep track of what’s happening with the megaprogrammes, or CGIAR Research Programmes (CRPs) as they are called now. The old CGIAR website is not much use. The blog on the change process they used to have doesn’t seem to be open to all any more. 2 Their knowledge sharing program doesn’t seem to focus much on the changes that are going on. And the page on the CRPs on the new Consortium website is of Saharan aridity. One is left to the information and communications shops of the individual Centres for the latest news on the development of the CRPs, and just recently ICRAF, IRRI, and IFPRI have indeed obliged. But each in their interestingly different ways, and still not a huge amount of evidence of system thinking, at least on the communications side. Anyway, interesting to see a whole (sub)theme in IFPRI’s policy CRP devoted to research on “policies and strategies that facilitate (or hinder) access to enhanced crops and animals, as well as the exchange of germplasm.” With a special reference to neglected and underutilized crops, no less. Alas with nary a mention of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, though. Presumably that will be dealt with elsewhere in the CRPs? No, wait…
Nibbles: Sake, Wine, Kew, Climate change, Canada, Banana processing
- To a hammer, everything is a nail; Decanter magazine bemoans loss of sake breweries in Japan.
- One door closes, another one opens; “price winning” Croatian wines.
- Why go to Kew when you can tour with Google streetview?
- Slideshow on genebanks and climate change adaptation in Ethiopia. Wish I could hear the words.
- Canadians! Your heritage crops and breeds need you.
- How best to dry banana slices in Ethiopia.