Nibbles

March 12, 2014March 12, 2014

Nibbles: Banana, Seed law

“How the global banana industry is killing the world’s favorite fruit.” Eye-popping headline, but I can see what they mean.
“We won! EU parlament [sic] rejects seed regulation!” Hmmmn.

March 11, 2014

Nibbles: Mango, Money, Holy guacamole

“Top 8 Wonderful Things You Can Do With A Mango.” Kenyan clickbait. I bought it.
“Third Call for Project Proposals under the Treaty’s Benefit-sharing Fund.” Seed Treaty clickbait. I’m not qualified.
“Guacapocalypse” — a headline to reckon with. Here’s the back story to climate change and avocados.

March 10, 2014

Nibbles: Climate change and Haiti, Climate change and aid, Mushroom farming in Kenya

CIAT examines the climate change options for coffee and mongo in Haiti.
Edward Carr reckons that from an aid donor’s perspective, adapting agriculture to climate change isn’t such a great idea.
Neither has anything to say about this how-to guide to mushroom farming in Kenya.

March 6, 2014

Nibbles: Seeds for Needs, Agroecology, Costa Rican climate change, Pollinators

IFAD and Bioversity, sitting in a tree …
Don’t mimic nature on the farm.
But don’t ignore it either. Learn from nature.
Costa Rican farmers have done both, to adapt to climate change.
There’s no imitating pollinators though.

March 4, 2014

Nibbles: Resilience conference, Farmer conservation, Goat smell, grape genes

If you were thinking of registering for Resilience 2014 in Montpellier, you better get your skates on. It closes on 10 March.
UK pays farmers to conserve biodiversity – but not crop biodiversity.
Eau de goat is “citrus-scented” shock.
A web-based resource to understand the 30,000 genes that make grapes.

1. Why the modern food system prizes uniformity even though resilience depends on diversity. Spoiler alert: follow the money.
2. Historic crop varieties are finding renewed relevance as farmers contend with more volatile weather, emerging pests and changing markets. Let’s hope there’s money to conserve them.
3. India’s traditional wheat varieties contain diversity that could help breeders develop crops better able to withstand heat and drought. Let’s hope there’s money to conserve them.
4. India announces significant progress in conserving its wild rice genetic resources. Great that there was money to conserve them.
5. Community seed banks across Kenya are calling for formal recognition and sustained support, arguing that locally managed collections strengthen seed sovereignty, preserve traditional varieties and help farming communities adapt to climate change. Yes, but are they enough without national genebanks?
6. Researchers are racing to conserve wild coffee species whose genetic diversity may provide the resistance and resilience needed to secure tomorrow’s morning cup. Is the industry contributing, though ?
7. New history of the macadamia traces its remarkable journey from Australia’s native forests to a global crop, while underscoring why conserving the remaining wild populations is essential for the crop’s long-term future.
8. Researchers at the University of the South Pacific investigate how taro can withstand climate change, combining research with conservation to help protect one of the region’s most culturally and nutritionally important staple crops.
9. Chester Zoo collects seeds from highly threatened cacti, because why not?
Published on July 14, 2026