Nibbles

Nibbles: Rice farming, Funny teas, Funny fruits, Christmas fare, Online course, Seasonal genomes, Malaysia shares, School shares

The most beautiful rice farm in the world. No, wait.
Jasmine tea gets protection. But does it need it? Let’s ask the South Africans what they’re doing with their tea.
Today’s funny fruit picture. Think it’s one of these Cuban mutants?
How many micronutrients in a Mexican Christmas dinner? And how many in a British one, featuring parsnips of course.
People’s University has online Appreciation Programme on Sustainable Management of Biodiversity starting January 2013.
First farmers were first carpenters.
And today’s genome story is very seasonally appropriate. Oh no, here’s another one!
Malaysia implements the ITPGRFA. Cool, but why is that even news?
School sends okra seeds to Haiti. But… No, I’m not playing the Grinch on this one, it’s too sweet.

Cassava gets a makeover in Brazil. And another, of a different kind, in East Africa.
Revolution turns into Terror. Where’s our Napoleon?
Designating Costa Rican cheese.
Conserving poverty?
No poverty for bean breeders in the US.
The uses of Oregon Grape. Which is of course not a grape.
Chaffey Style.
Coconut water is a major conservation issue for 2013. It says here.
Fewer farmers, more fires. In the Amazon. It says here.
Yeah, what is balsam anyway?
So the Next Big Thing in African ag development is agricultural growth corridors. What could possibly go wrong? Will they learn from wildlife corridors? Will they be using these four apparently key technologies? Or bolstering extension? And will it all mean a decrease in bush meat consumption?
Heritage foods book. Yummie.
Like potatoes in Peru, I guess. And various street foods in West Africa.
Conference on native seed use in the US. Probably even some crop wild relatives in there.

Fir trees holding their value. It must be Christmas.
Mistletoe is good for trees. Is it still Christmas?
An indicator framework for assessing agroecosystem resilience. Santa is being good to us this year.
“Banana-shaped” takes on a whole new meaning.
How to do crowdsourcing, right? Right!
How to write good about agricultural research.
Testing other kinds of grain and other kinds of bread.
The East African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation comes in for some stick over draft policy on plant variety protection laws. This deserves way more than a Nibble. Perhaps some well-informed policy wonks will chime in.
Blame 18th century Japanese rice traders for the futures markets.
Who do I blame for Cassavabase?

BBC makes a meal of very old cheese.
Botanist in the kitchen dishes the whole history of gluten.
Food boffin reflects on UK Women’s Institute test recipes for Global Food Security.
Dewy-eyed farmer says you can’t eat agrobiodiversity, but so what.

Nothing to see here, move along edition:

FAO calls for “farmer-centred approach to investment for agriculture”. I.e. more money for us.
Cornell gets US$25.2M for “Next Generation Cassava Breeding”. I.e. more money for research.
IITA clones Cornell press-release, knocks out hyperlinks.