There’s only one rum that can put Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) on its label, apparently. It is Martinique’s Rhum Agricole, and it has a fascinating history. Via.
Nibbles: Wetlands, Grazing, Animal and diseases, Rose wine
- New wetlands map of China available. Useful for crop wild relatives?
- Sheep and cows do better and are better for you when they graze on diverse pastures.
- Animal Biodiversity and Emerging Diseases Prediction and Prevention at the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Via.
- “…it would be ‘a catastrophe for Provence’s winegrowers if this ruling passes’.”
Nibbles: Khush, Reindeer, Rice, Truffle, Quince
- Legendary rice breeder sets example for Punjab students.
- Sami worried about what climate change will mean for their reindeer, try to do something about it.
- Rice tillering gene deconstructed.
- Truffle pirated.
- Ağzınız şirin olsun!
Nibbles: Spices, Tequila, Tea, Potatoes, Archive, Africa, Carotenoids, Calcium, AGR, Ethiopia, Wheat blast
- Where do spices come from, mummy?
- Even “good” tequila can be bad for you. Well I never.
- Sparkling tea? Call it a microwine. Via.
- More potatoes. …
- … but the kicker is the historical archive she links to.
- AGRA and Earth Institute to collaborate. Africa not available for comment.
- More Pacific food crop nutrition goodness from Lois et al.
- Children may not like their veggies because of the Ca content.
- Canada down to 95% Holsteins. Oh dear.
- “The large crop genetic diversity that already exists in Ethiopia will make adapting agricultural systems to the locally changing conditions relatively easy.” Well, maybe…
- Screening Kansas wheat varieties for resistance to wheat blast.
Who Owns Nature?
There is a new report, “Who Owns Nature? Corporate Power and the Final Frontier in the Commodification of Life” from the ETC group.
It talks of corporate concentration in:
- farm input (from thousands of seed companies and public breeding institutions three decades ago, 10 companies now control more than two-thirds of global proprietary seed sales);
- food output (supermarkets);
- pharmaceuticals; and
- the New Post-Petroleum sugar industry (“the so-called ‘sugar economy’ will be the catalyst for a corporate grab on all plant matter –- and destruction of biodiversity on a massive scale”).
Their (not so new) bottom line on seeds:
So-called climate-ready genes are a false solution to climate change. Patented gene technologies will not help small farmers survive climate change, but they will concentrate corporate power, drive up costs, inhibit public sector research and further undermine the rights of farmers to save and exchange seeds.