Nibbles – Page 438 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

December 14, 2007December 14, 2007

Apples and pears exemplify sex

Vegan sexuality? The image explained. Magritte amused.

December 13, 2007

Ancient brewing

Puebloans and ancient Irish brewed beer. Pass the bottle.

December 12, 2007

Boron barley breakthrough

~~Boring~~ boron resistance gene found in barley.

December 11, 2007

Efforts to conserve wild juniper

Yorkshire (UK) conserving wild Juniperus communis; gin drinkers too elated to comment.

December 11, 2007

Mopane worms

Mopane worms:Â a traditional source of protein in Botswana. I’ve tried them. They’re yummie.

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 woodlands 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