Category: Mainstream

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Terere, in more ways than one



 		Terere (amaranth) is mainly a traditional leafy green vegetable in Kenya of course…
…and readily available these days in supermarkets.



But it’s interesting to see the grain also used…
…in lots of interesting products.

Quite the veggie revolution in the last 10 years1, but have we now reached peak terere?

I mean, how much more land is there?

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Nibbles: Kurdish genebank, Ghana genebank, PABRA, Ubu, Beyond genebanks

  1. Kurdistan inaugurates a new genebank in Sulaymaniyah, which Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani calls one of Kurdistan and Iraq’s most important national projects.
  2. Ghana complements its national collection at Bunso. The new facility further north will improve drying, processing and conservation, while giving northern farmers and breeders closer access to crop diversity.
  3. Three decades of African bean research partnerships and networking have helped turn a staple crop into a vehicle for improved nutrition, livelihoods and climate resilience.
  4. In the Philippines, eight promising purple-yam accessions combine yield, sensory quality and market appeal, with Villasis 2 producing up to 60 tonnes per hectare in trials. Does it need a network next?
  5. However, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange Mike Bollinger’s call in Food Tank’s to carry seed diversity forward extends stewardship beyond formal institutions: Indigenous communities, farmers, gardeners and seed libraries all have a role in keeping crop diversity alive and used.
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Cassava on a roll?



 		Is it me, or are there more cassava products…
…in Kenyan supermarkets these days?

Production has been up and down, though on a generally rising trend, mainly due to expansion of the area of cultivation, apparently.

Climate change could be one driver. But so, presumably, are disease-resistant varieties, promotion pushes, and a growing appetite for cheap calories. Including in the form of crisps.

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Nibbles: Amaranth webinar, FARA on fonio, Maslin, Gaza genebank, Nepal seeds, Golden Triangle tea

  1. New webinar series from the American Society of Plant Biologists will explore how underutilized (or is it opportunity) crops like amaranth can contribute to nutrition, food security and rural livelihoods.
  2. FARA highlights the tiny West African grain fonio as another crop with potential to improve nutrition, strengthen food systems and create new opportunities for farmers and value chains.
  3. Taiwanese tea has travelled an unlikely route into northern Thailand. It too was an opportunity crop at one time.
  4. Ethiopian farmers may have been practising regenerative agriculture for millennia, mixing wheat, barley and other grains in the same field. The Rockefeller Foundation is on it.
  5. Efforts to restore the Al Qarara Seed Bank in Gaza are offering a small but significant form of agricultural recovery.
  6. In Nepal, indigenous seeds are losing ground to hybrids, but seed advocates are fighting back.