Nibbles – Page 429 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

February 14, 2008

Mound builders of Norte Chico

Transitioning to agriculture on Peruvian coast 5000 years ago.

February 14, 2008

An introduction to sorghum

Canada meets sorghum, impressed.

February 13, 2008

Knowledge management for agricultural innovation

How to get Bolivian farmers to do what’s good for them; a case study.

February 13, 2008February 13, 2008

Farmers and hunter gatherers in Africa

The human genetics of farming transition in Central Africa. Lots more here.

February 12, 2008February 12, 2008

Neolithic origins

The birth of Egyptian farming.

1. Ancient farmers didn’t have to wait for the genetic diversity that made domestication possible. They selected from variation already present in wild plants, including the ancestors of rice and maize. Domestication was as much about spotting (or happening upon) useful differences as creating new ones.
2. English colonists in America called Indigenous dogs “wolves,” revealing as much about colonial perceptions as about the animals themselves. This history of Indigenous dogs shows how unfamiliar animals were classified through peculiarly European ideas about wildness.
3. Austria is bringing forgotten apple varieties back to life. Saving old varieties in genebanks is one thing: getting people to grow, sell and eat them is another, but it can be done. Or at least tried.
4. Jordan’s olive-oil heritage centres on traditional varieties such as Nabali and ancient Rumi trees, but most production is consumed locally, leaving exports limited and making provenance, cultivar and harvest date important indicators for buyers. Compare and contrast with Austrian apples.
5. Small island developing states have distinctive food cultures and ingredients, but face particular challenges in building sustainable and resilient food systems. FAO’s A Taste of SIDS explores the connections between island food, biodiversity and culinary heritage. Nice to see diversity within crops considered, though a few local variety names would have been nice.
Published on October 21, 2026