- Dogs are different from wolves, different types of wolves are different from each other.
- Vavilov-Frankel Fellow on the move.
- Nacional cacao bean rediscovered in northern Peru.
- Manx Queenies deemed to be sustainable. And wipe that smile off your face.
Nibbles, Menu edition: Garlic, Potatoes, Meat, Tomatoes, Ramps, Bananas, Chocolate, Coffee, Pepper breeding, Local cattle in RSA
- Chicago, Chicago, it’s an edible town. Major urban centre named for edible wild species shock.
- Drought-resistant potatoes! At least 1000 genes involved.
- Test-tube burgers? 1
- Wild tomatoes and climate change. A meeting round-up from our chums at CIAT.
- The appeal of fair trade bananas. A good read.
- Technical Guidelines on the Safe Movement of Cacao Germplasm updated.
- Coffee, please. A cup of your finest specialty variety.
- Caribbean pepper breeders getting hot under the collar.
- Gotta love the way Farm Radio Weekly not only has great stories about agrobiodiversity, but also handy background notes.
Well, that was fun.
Discovering lost breeds in the US
I can’t help reproducing this fun piece from the latest e-newsletter of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
One of the most important parts of ALBC’s work is the “discovery” element. “Discovery” means that ALBC uses its networks and resources to find rare breeds – out there, in the fields, woods, and barns where they have quietly survived for generations. Often, these are unique strains or in some cases, unique breeds with unique genetics.
Most recently, ALBC was contacted by the state of North Carolina about populations of goats on several islands off its southern coast. State officials were considering removing the goats from the island, but they wanted more information about the goats before they did.
ALBC’s technical staff traveled out to sea and visited a few of the islands. The goats have been feral on the island for over 25 years. The goats were skittish, but ALBC staff was able to capture images that were later evaluated for breed type and characteristics. Further explorations are planned for the coastal NC goat population, but evidence suggests several herds of these goats may have Spanish influence or be a unique strain of Spanish goats. In the meantime, the state has called off the removal of the goats from the island until more information is obtained. Discovery of America’s hidden breeds is an exciting and essential piece of ALBC’s work.
I bet it is!
Nibbles: Hunger foods, Pollinators, Sacred Seeds, Neglected species, Grasses, Yields, Hawaiian History
- Mining Mungo Park for info about famine foods. Bamboo seeds and, perhaps, baobab pods.
- The big prerequisite for EU funding is a good acronym. STEP — status and trends of European pollinators — gets the go ahead.
- Sacred Seeds project at Missouri Botanical Garden announces new partners in India.
- New Bioversity project to extend importance of work on neglected species in India, Nepal and Bolivia.
- How to manage diverse grasses.
- More on climate change and maize yields. “[I]f anything heat tolerance is declining.”
- Ancient agriculture in Hawaii.
Nibbles: Beer in Sudan, Tea and pastoralism in Kenya, Iron in beans, Mediterranean diet
- Sudanese beer-drinkers in trouble. Let my people go!
- The future of tea in Kenya. Mother-in-law alerted.
- Meanwhile, Kenyan pastoralists go back to the future.
- Slideshow: “Combating hidden hunger through bio-fortification.” Beanz meanz ironz.
- May is Mediterranean Diet Month. It is? I mean, who knew?