There is simply no way to summarize Willie Smits‘ Ted Talk. It is a masterful description of putting the complexity in an agricultural ecosystem to work to solve the problems of humans and orang-utans. Just astonishing. And so much more intellectually satisfying than a simplified system. Luscious.
Nibbles: Cacao, Profits, Biochar, Biochar, Museum, Fish, Cognac
- Take a tour around the world’s most important cacao germplasm collection.
- “[D]iversified systems were more profitable than monocropping,” but read the whole paper. You have 30 days, free.
- Open source science to measure the impact of biochar.
- “Pro-biochar activists can be as silly as these anti-biochar activists.” Well, duh. But thanks for explaining.
- Gehry builds Panama a Museum of Biodiversity, but seems to forget about agriculture.
- Kano’s fish market takes a hit.
- All about rancio.
Plants for health
A couple of papers just out look at the use of plants as medicines, for both humans and livestock, in Africa. Mongabay reports on a study documenting how sacredness of trees and forests, protection of plants at burial sites, selective harvesting, secrecy and other beliefs and practices contribute to the protection of medicinal plants in Tanzania. Meanwhile, researchers at Kansas State University have put together a bibliographic database of plants used to treat complaints of livestock and pets in southern Africa: 506 herbal remedies are being used in 18 study areas against 81 symptoms. Amazingly, these data come from only 21 papers. A wide-open field, that of ethnoveterinary botany, clearly.
Nibbles: Gas, Gas, Conference, Food systems, Food systems, Food systems, Food systems, Coconuts, Sugar
- Who really cares about cow farts anyway when we have coal fired power plants to deal with? We do.
- On the other hand … “Agriculture has been missing in the run-up talks to Copenhagen“
- Visit Puglia, study Food Law & Policy. What’s not to like?
- Jane Jacobs, Manchester, Birmingham and more robust food systems.
- On the other hand … Pig City is the most provocative concept at “Carrot City”
- Tienes hambre? All about Mexican food.
- Fishing for glass eels in Japan. Yummie.
- Rainfall predicts coconut yield in Sri Lanka.
- Another use for agave.
Nibbles: Student, Sea cucumbers, Reindeer, Climate change, Urban beeking, Taro diseases, Markets, Apples
- Adam Forbes updates us on his travels in Ethiopia and Peru in search of seeds. Check out his pix too.
- “…sea cucumber populations across the globe, from Asia to the Galapagos, are increasingly in trouble.” Oh dear.
- Satellites help reindeer herders by looking for snow melt. Sounds very cost-effective.
- IFPRI says agriculture will be “dramatically” affected by climate change. Oh dear.
- Keeping bees in cities.
- All you ever wanted to know about taro diseases. With pic goodness! Via.
- Walking London’s markets.
- Navarre: “276 varieties of autochthonous apple tree have been described.”