Nibbles – Page 436 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

January 14, 2008

Raipur rice research institute demanded

Chhattisgarh has a lot of rice diversity, so deserves its own rice institute. Wait, deserves?

January 14, 2008

Height record broken

Jack and the Amaranthus stalk.

January 11, 2008

New book on bananas

Banana book sees light of day-o; Harry Belafonte unavailable for comment.

January 9, 2008January 9, 2008

Malawi’s windmill entrepreneur

Blow me. From the Lubin Files, a feel(very)good story of the Malawian who built a windmill.

January 7, 2008January 7, 2008

Engineered sorghum more nutritious

Pioneer Hi-Bred engineers more nutritious sorghum: Africa unavailable for comment.

1. Haga Hideo’s 1950s photos of Fukushima farming rituals are now being used to revive them: ex situ conservation, but for culture.
2. Long before photography, or “pre‑breeding” was a buzzword, Belgian pomologist Jean‑Baptiste Van Mons was running massive pear selection trials and gifting us Beurré Bosc and Doyenné Boussock.
3. As Southern Africa’s miombo shrinks, scientists are cloning wild trees so the fruit — and food security — outlive the forest. Now for the pre-breeding.
4. Greenpeace Africa’s Seed Project makes the case for indigenous seeds as a route to farmer independence. And you can help.
5. And oh so coincidentally, a network of community seed banks in Kenya is rescuing indigenous seeds so the diversity is still around when opportunity (or crisis) knocks.
6. Also in Kenya, the national genebank’s collectors are racing to secure opportunity crops.
7. Nepal’s indigenous crops and landraces are at the same time more needed than ever, and under threat. So, much like in Kenya.
8. The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT says women are at the center of sustainable food systems; the fine print adds: “as they have always been.”
Published on September 30, 2026