The new NWFP-Digest is out. That’s only if you get it by email, however. It’ll be on the website ((FAO’s link is dead.)) in a couple of days. As ever, lots of interesting links, but the one that really caught my eye was an article on the success of Ugandan bark cloth on the international fashion scene. It was named a “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2005. Called lubugu, it is made from the bark of Ficus natalensis. Interestingly, this species is an invasive in Hawaii. Elsewhere in the Pacific, they make bark cloth — tapa — from Broussonetia papyrifera, but the dyes come from a Ficus, among other species.
Nibbles: Conference, Funding, Borlaug, Bananas, Indian genebanks, Cassava cooking, Bees, Beer
- FARA-led Conference on Agricultural Biodiversity in Africa, 2010
- Switzerland will not cut support to genebank in Africa.
- Yesterday’s birthday paean to Norman Borlaug,
- Man worries (inchoately) about banana extinction.
- “Over 20,000 indigenous varieties of Indian rice and other food grains have been conserved under Crop Germplasm Conservation at the gene banks.”
- IITA gets USAID support to come up with better cassava recipes. Luigi comments: “All the money in the world will not be enough.”
- Giving native bees a home.
- Bespoke organic beer in the UK. Sweet!
Nibbles: Millet origins, Maize origins, Cowpea, Edible weeds, Watermelons
- Trace chemicals in Chinese dog bones from 7-8K years ago suggest a diet high in millet, and therefore its cultivation.
- Maize origins pushed back and down.
- A new cowpea system, including faster varieties, being tried out in Niger.
- It’s spring, and Italians’ thoughts starting to turn to eating weeds.
- “…his 3 wives and 20 children depend on the water melon business as means of livelihood.”
Neat rum
There’s only one rum that can put Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) on its label, apparently. It is Martinique’s Rhum Agricole, and it has a fascinating history. Via.
An American in Taiwan
Joel Haas is an American author and sculptor. He’s traveling in Taiwan at the moment, and writing about it online. I don’t think he has a particular interest in agrobiodiversity, but maybe I’m wrong, because there are many engaging observations on useful wild plants, crops and food in his posts and numerous photos.