Nibbles

March 5, 2008March 6, 2008

Nibbles: Potatoes, livestock, artemesia

File under “never too late”: Ireland diversifies its potatoes.
UK establishes livestock breeds committee. Not concerned about species?
“All I think of is more and more artemesia,” says shilling millionaire Ugandan farmer.

March 4, 2008March 5, 2008

Nibbles: IPRs, chicory, pigs

Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher optimistic that farmers can avoid becoming “serfs of a different kind”.
Three chicory museums? Who knew? Want to know more about chicory?
Just when you thought it was safe, Return of the Pocket Pigs (with added photographic goodness).

March 3, 2008March 3, 2008

Nibbles: Anti-diversification, chickens, bananas, registers, tropical fruits

US subsidy system prevents diversification. Via.
Chicken domestication; possibly more than you could ever want to know.
Red bananas; Raul unavailable for comment.
Filipino community registers agrobiodiversity.
Tropical fruit diversity conserved, studied and consumed in the US. That includes the citron. ¹

March 2, 2008March 2, 2008

Nibbles: Branding, dogs

Commodity branding is older than you think. Via.
Ancient Scandinavian dogs not like modern Scandinavian dogs.

February 29, 2008February 29, 2008

Nibbles: Carnival, pomegranates, cattle, potatoes

Berry Go Round No. 2 is up with lots and lots of botanical links.
Pomegranate juice manufacturer says its juice is best.
Cattle and aurochs did the wild thing.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has a potato genebank. With pic goodness.

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