Rural workers and indigenous people are lobbying the Brazilian government for a policy and start-up cash for small-scale community-level projects on the extraction and processing of non-timber forest products from the Amazon. They say it would be good for them and good for the rainforest, and have a hefty report to back that up with. Meanwhile, in the cerrado, things seem to be developing on an altogether larger scale for local fruits, including the pequi. Via FreshPlaza.
Taro wine
Japanese like taro wine made in Palau. Hugh Johnson unavailable for comment.
Moringa recipe
Got drumstick (Moringa oleifera) leaves? Here’s a recipe.
Weaver ants protect mango and cashew crops
Farmers in Benin harvest fruit of far higher quality if they allow weaver ants (Oecophylla longinoda) to infest their mango (Mangifera indica) trees. Scientists at the CGIAR’s Inland Valley Consortium noticed that fruit-fly damage was lower in trees where weaver ants were abundant. So they arranged to exclude ants from trees on six plantations. The results were very encouraging. 1 Farmers who tolerated the ants can manage without pesticides and are able to sell their mangoes into the lucrative European organic market. The scientists reckon it takes just a day to teach farmers about the benefits of weaver ants, and are planning to take their ideas to East Africa and Asia.
There is just one downside. The ants bite. But that can be avoided by harvesting the fruit with poles instead of by climbing the trees. 2
Hemp grower persecuted
A farmer who wanted to diversify into hemp is persecuted by authority.