Nibbles

November 27, 2008November 27, 2008

Nibbles: Sustainable agriculture, Zizania

Llamas protect livestock from predators. And so much more about making agriculture wilder.
Distant wild relative of rice runs amok in New Zealand.

November 26, 2008November 26, 2008

Nibbles: Info-fest, Medicinals, Wiliwili, Fish, Salinity

10,000,000 pages of biodiversity: among them 84 articles on agriculture.
The road to scientific expertise for Maryam Imbumi began with a stomach ache.
It’s wasp versus wasp to save native wiliwili.
Domesticating big fish in the Amazon. Really big.
Indian institute churning out salt-tolerant varieties.

November 25, 2008November 25, 2008

Nibbles: Earthworms, Statistics, Bison, Urban, Cork

Boffins find lots of cryptic genetic diversity in earthworms.
China produces half the world’s vegetables?
Know your bison.
Flouting Zimbabwe’s laws on urban agriculture to stay alive.
Cork certification.

November 24, 2008November 24, 2008

Nibbles: Cotton, Market, Genebank, Bees

When Cotton was King.
America’s longest-operating outdoor market.
Australia builds a genebank for native plants. Some crop wild relatives may be involved, I guess.
Undergraduate review of colony collapse disorder. Resist the temptation to mark. Or don’t.

November 22, 2008November 22, 2008

Nibbles: Bees, Potency

Bees win big conservation debate.
Changes in active ingredient content over time.

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