Well I must say I never thought breadfruit would make it to Newsweek, but it has. Well done, Diane!
Making changes
Changemakers is a community of action where we all collaborate on solutions. We know we have the power to solve the world’s most pressing social problems. We’re already doing it, one project, one idea at a time.
How do we do it? We talk about the issues, share stories and mentor, advise, and encourage each other in group forums, even engage in friendly competition. We form surprising connections and unexpected partnerships across the globe that turn the old ways of problem solving upside down. We try things that have never been tried before.
With regard to the competitions, the winners of the one entitled “Cultivating Innovation: Solutions for Rural Communities,” which “aims to find innovative solutions toward improving the quality of life in rural and farming communities,” were announced a few days ago. Alas, none of the three winners, worthy as they undoubtedly are, has an explicit agrobiodiversity focus. But I may be wrong, the descriptions of the projects are rather brief. The entry from the Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme, for example, mentions seed saving.
The latest competition is all about GMOs: “How can we help consumers make better, more informed choices?” You can join the debate, or submit an entry, here. The winner will get a chance to chat with the best-selling author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan. There are six weeks left to enter. If you have a new, innovative way to “help consumers become more aware of what they are eating, and discover how their choices will affect health, the environment and society,” have a go!
Traditional tattoo dye to go mainstream
The report in FoodNavigator seemed pretty boring at first sight:
EcoFlora has developed a natural, acid-stable blue coloring for foods, beverages and cosmetics and it says the creation of a sustainable supply chain differentiates it from other colors on the market.
But then I googled the plant involved (“edible jagua fruit, which grows in the Chocó rainforest” of Colombia). It turns out jagua is Genipa americana, which is cultivated for its edible fruit, but also has other traditional uses.
South American Indians bathe their legs in the clear liquid obtained from the fruit. The liquid has an astringent effect. When the liquid oxidizes, it stains the skin black. These stains are permanent, but only color the top few layers of skin, and thus disappear after about a fortnight, when the skin is naturally shed. As South Americans Indians went into battle, they used to paint themselves with Genipa juice and annatto.
The active compound is called genipin. Apparently, there’s been a “recent explosion in the popularity of Jagua body art.”
There’s nothing in the FoodNavigator piece about where the idea for this “natural, acid-stable blue coloring for foods, beverages and cosmetics” ultimately came from. However…
EcoFlora says it is committed to working with some of the poorest communities in the region to harvest the fruit in a manner which is environmentally sustainable and beneficial to the local economy.
Well, that’s something, I suppose.
Nibbles: Water buffalo, Distillation, Salmon, Banana, Stem rust, Red rice
- Great photo-essay on the water buffalo.
- A renaissance of gin production in London. Cheers!
- Not bad photo essay on the salmon migration.
- Special issue of Ethnobotany Research & Applications on banana domestication.
- Afghanistan readies for Ug99. Because it doesn’t have enough problems already.
- Saving red rice. Note comment from Bhuwon.
Crop to Cuisine
That’s the catchy title of a locavore radio programme out of Boulder, Colorado. In the latest episode…
Adam Avery tells us about their team bike ride from Boulder to Durango, and how breweries are doing more than making great beer within their communities. Bill Meyer from the USDA Statistics Service explains the first organic agriculture census. Cindy Torres of the Boulder County Food & Agricultural Policy Council helps us understand the GMO v. Non GMO argument. And Michelle DaPra shares the USDA’s efforts to better understand local food systems.
And all in only 45 minutes. Via.