Mainstream

Nibbles: Genebanks, PNG Forests, Peruvian potatoes, Haitian extension, Mungbeans

The Santa Barbara Independent does genebanks. You heard me.
Papua New Guinea suspends Special Agricultural and Business Leases. Maybe they’ll now use the land for special agriculture and business?
Native Peruvian potato chips prized in Europe (Spanish).
US opens new centre to train Haitian farmers. Because, y’know, they’ve done such a fine job in the past.
Australia taps World Vegetable Center for mungbean genes.

Papas got a brand new bag — starring alongside Paul McCartney. Here’s the English.
Duff commercial seeds a disaster for Nepalese farmers. As our friend Bhuwon said, “please do not give up your local varieties and traditional knowledge yet”.
How to come up smelling of roses — eat a new kind of confectionary.
Combining high biodiversity with high yields in tropical agroforests. Ought to be (and will be) Brainfood, but for now, anyone have any time to write this up for us?

The evolution of the GBIF registry. If you need to ask, you don’t need to know. And if you don’t, you do.
US farmers encouraged to try millets, sorghum — for birds. …
… while in Kenya, Farmers turn to sorghum to boost their food security. They’re eating their beer.
The latest Berry go Round blog carnival is up at Foothills Fancies. I liked the Red Filbert.
The European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources, known to its friends as ecp/gr, has a spiffy new website. But no RSS feed, so it’s unlikely we’ll be bringing you anything else of interest from that site.
Battery rabbits back on the menu in England? A warren of contradictions, I tell you.
International Conference on In Situ/On farm conservation and use of agrobiodiversity (fruit crops and wild fruit species) in Central Asia, 23-26 August, in Tashkent. Programme PDF here.
“Japan should look to satoyama and satoumi for inspiration.” I thought it already had …

Another view of peak phosphorus: there isn’t one.
Worldwatch Institute offers “15 solutions to … a healthier environment and a more food-secure future”. h/t ILRI.
From sorghum to maize, not your usual “top lady farmer“.
Plant clinics thriving in Sierra Leone. Do the plant doctors ever prescribe agricultural biodiversity?

“Extra virgin” olive oil might not be, but could still be good for you.
“The underlying causes of hunger are more associated with poverty, institutional weaknesses and policy environments than an inability to produce enough food.” Bob Watson, UK government adviser, on food security …
… which Jamaica is tackling by enlisting an army of backyard farmers …
… while Filipinos are told to save on rice by eating camote, sweet potato by another name.
Bifurcated Carrots points to consultations on new seed laws in Europe.
Sweet sorghum (jowar) boom in India, with preference for traditional varieties.