Category: Information

Posted on

Wheat database heaven?

The USDA is promising people like Luigi 1 a get out of hell free card. Shiaoman Chao, a molecular geneticist, sequences and fingerprints thousands of wheat and barley samples sent to her by breeders around the country. The results can help breeders to decide whether a particular seedling is worth persevering with.

But those data on their own become much more valuable when they can be married to other kinds of information from other kinds of laboratory. Enter GrainGenes, “a treasure trove of genetic information about wheat, barley and other ‘small grains’ like rye, oats and triticale”.

Personally, I don’t have the knowledge to make use of GrainGenes, or any of the other massive portals dedicated to just a few crops each: maize, strawberry, potato and others. But there is help out there.

The bigger question is the extent to which all those portals can be brought together and interlinked with other kinds of data: where selections grow, their visible characteristics, their utility, etc. etc. I know there are people coming at this from the non-molecular side of things, but I do sometimes wonder whether they really have the chops (and the resources) to pull it off. If some of the gene-jockeys decided they wanted to do it, and could throw some of their brains, brawn and bucks at the problem, I reckon Luigi would have his lifeline sooner. And it might be more reliable.

Posted on

Innovate This

I like competitions. I thinks prizes spur people. I also think they need to be widely promulgated. Which is why I’m a little ashamed that I didn’t even know that the World Bank’s annual jamboree for low cost solutions for agricultural development is practically over. There’s good money at stake: 100 finalists are hoping to be one of the lucky 25 who will share a $4 million pot. Winners will be announced tomorrow, Friday, and the World Bank’s web site promises a live webcast from 9.30 to 11.00 EDT. 2 Meanwhile, there are loads of video interviews with some of the hopeful aspirants, but because they are Mac unfriendly I’m unable to watch and share my opinions. No matter; maybe some of you would care to predict whether Use of Ancient Legume in Novel Food Products is a worthier project than Turning Prisoners into Farmers.

Posted on

LEISA Magazine seeks articles on Diverse Farming Systems

From Karen Hampson, Editor, LEISA Magazine.

LEISA Magazine on Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture has the theme of “Diverse farming systems.” We are seeking articles about initiatives that explicitly recognise the value of diverse landscapes, diverse ways of life, diverse crops and agricultural systems and which stand up against policies and developments that undermine an independent family farmers’ way of life.

We are looking for short articles (800-2400 words) based around experience and learning.  All articles received by us have to go through a selection process, so if you prefer you could send us some initial information and we can then discuss which aspects to highlight in an article. We can accept articles written in English, Portuguese, French or Spanish. We provide full editorial support and a fee of 75 euro is available to authors. The full Call for Articles, outlining the theme in more detail, and the Guidelines for Authors, can be found on our website, or by contacting me. Please submit articles to Karen Hampson at k.hampson@ileia.nl by December 1st, 2008.

We have partner organizations in Brazil, Peru, India, China, Indonesia, and West Africa, all publishing regional editions of the magazine in their various languages. I can send sample copies out on request.

I am happy to answer any questions, or discuss ideas for articles.

Please feel free to circulate this around your networks.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Karen