Livestock

September 19, 2007September 19, 2007

Norway to ban pig castration

To snip or not to snip? Norway bans pig castrations, The Economist ponders the ramifications.

September 19, 2007September 19, 2007

Camel farming

Farm camels, feed them halophytes to fight desertification?Â

September 18, 2007September 19, 2007

Apparently, harvesting grasshoppers mechanically to eat and sell them is not only good for your nutrition and income, it can also save on pesticide use. Another benefit of micro-livestock. Or is it mini? Whichever, pests are agrobiodiversity too!

September 13, 2007

Dogs behaving well

Dogs are not dumbed-down wolves.

September 11, 2007

Animal genetic resources

Final report on the Interlaken conference on animal genetic resources.

1. Ancient farmers didn’t have to wait for the genetic diversity that made domestication possible. They selected from variation already present in wild plants, including the ancestors of rice and maize. Domestication was as much about spotting (or happening upon) useful differences as creating new ones.
2. English colonists in America called Indigenous dogs “wolves,” revealing as much about colonial perceptions as about the animals themselves. This history of Indigenous dogs shows how unfamiliar animals were classified through peculiarly European ideas about wildness.
3. Austria is bringing forgotten apple varieties back to life. Saving old varieties in genebanks is one thing: getting people to grow, sell and eat them is another, but it can be done. Or at least tried.
4. Jordan’s olive-oil heritage centres on traditional varieties such as Nabali and ancient Rumi trees, but most production is consumed locally, leaving exports limited and making provenance, cultivar and harvest date important indicators for buyers. Compare and contrast with Austrian apples.
5. Small island developing states have distinctive food cultures and ingredients, but face particular challenges in building sustainable and resilient food systems. FAO’s A Taste of SIDS explores the connections between island food, biodiversity and culinary heritage. Nice to see diversity within crops considered, though a few local variety names would have been nice.
Published on October 21, 2026

Category: Livestock

Norway to ban pig castration

Camel farming

Grasshopper stew

Dogs behaving well

Animal genetic resources