- The history of cacao cultivation, breeding and conservation in Trinidad explained.
- The latest update from Adam searching for seeds around the world. Go, dude.
- “Uganda exports 0.1% of the world’s gum Arabica…” Hardly seems worth it.
- Giving bees a hand. It’s hard to be a bee in the city.
- An active participation is required from the private sector and non-government organisations to take technological advances in farming and its practices to the grassroots level.”
- Kumwhat? Kumquat, that’s what.
- Bush sells maize. Maize surrenders.
- Let them eat weeds.
- But don’t let Thais eat herbs!
- Climate change bad for medicinal plants too.
- Banana wine in Malawi. Pass the bottle.
- How to make cachaca. A couple of friends and I once spent a night looking for the best caipirinhas in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Can’t remember if we found them.
- First Dog found.
Nibbles: Berries, Women, Marsh Arabs, Maple, Sorghum, Nuts, Conference, Banana
- Let the berry wars commence. Thanks to Hannes for taking sides.
- Women active in African agriculture. Well I never.
- Iraq’s marshes in trouble again. This time it’s drought.
- Gorosoe in Korea: “…it soothes my stomach after a hangover.”
- Vavilov set right on sorghum in China.
- Protected pine forest threatened by logging in Russia. Nuts!
- 1st International IFOAM Conference on Organic Animal and Plant Breeding.
- International Banana Symposium: Global Perspectives on Asian Challenges.
Nibbles: Indigenous knowledge, Buffalo, Wheat rust, Cassava, New Green Revolution, Environmentalism, Millennium Seedbank, USDA, Pig
- India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library a bulwark against piracy. Ahoy me mateys!
- Oh give me a home, where the buffalo-cow hybrid roamed.
- “We’ve found one of the most important disease resistance genes in wheat.”
- Cassava on its way to being a complete meal. Oh joy.
- Usual suspects debate GM.
- The history of the American wilderness movement deconstructed.
- Australia’s Northern Territory needs more collectors.
- “USDA People’s Garden announced today will eliminate 1,250 square feet of unnecessary paved surface at the USDA headquarters and return the landscape to grass.” Michelle likes it.
- Pig domestication, for Vavilov and now.
Socializing with plants at Kew
Kew is hosting a festival of ethnobotany, highlighting research into plant-people relationships. Featured topics will likely include medicinal plants in Britain, Spain, China and southern Africa; wild foods in Britain and Africa; natural fibres and basketmaking, home gardens in Britain, spice plants in India, and many more. The emphasis is on hands-on, table-top displays with plenty of opportunity to talk to the exhibitors.
It’s on 7 March, and it sounds like fun. If you go, let us know about it. And send us photos.
Nibbles: Paan, Homegardens, Yams, Apiculture, Sorghum, Asparagus, Vicuna
- Paan unwrapped — betel leaf, areca nut.
- “We were suffering; we had no food to eat so we tried to make a garden.”
- IITA comes up with technique to propagate yams through vine cuttings using carbonized rice husks as growth medium. Worlds beats path to Ibadan.
- The Virgin Fresh Apicultural Project is cool, but needs a new name.
- Sorghum makes big move from wallboards to gas and booze.
- Great Witley sweeter than Peruvian. No, not weed, dude.
- The vicuna: use it or lose it. They did, so they didn’t.